Synthetic division?

Question

4x^2 + 3x - 1 = (2x - 1)( )

Answer 1

The equation is .

Use synthetic division to find .

The dividend is , and the root is 1/2.

Step 1 : Write the terms of the dividend so that the degrees of the terms are in descending order. Then write just the coefficients as shown at the right.

Step 2 : Write the constant r of the divisor (x - r) to the left. In this case, . Bring the first coefficient, 4, down.

Step 3 : Multiply the first coefficient by r : . Write the product under the second coefficient, 3. Then add the product and the second coefficient, 3 : .

Step 4 : Multiply the sum, 5, by r : .

Write the product under the next coefficient, -1 and add : .

The numbers along the bottom row are the coefficients of the quotient. Start with the power of x that is one less than the degree of the dividend. Thus, the quotient is .

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