| Exam Board | OCR MEI |
|---|---|
| Module | C1 (Core Mathematics 1) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Session | January |
| Marks | 3 |
| Paper | Download PDF ↗ |
| Mark scheme | Download PDF ↗ |
| Topic | Factor & Remainder Theorem |
| Type | Single unknown constant |
| Difficulty | Moderate -0.8 This is a straightforward application of the factor theorem requiring only substitution of x=2 into f(x)=0 and solving a simple linear equation for a. It's a single-step problem with minimal algebraic manipulation, making it easier than average but not trivial since it requires understanding the factor theorem concept. |
| Spec | 1.02j Manipulate polynomials: expanding, factorising, division, factor theorem |
4 You are given that $\mathrm { f } ( x ) = x ^ { 4 } + a x - 6$ and that $x - 2$ is a factor of $\mathrm { f } ( x )$.\\
Find the value of $a$.
\hfill \mbox{\textit{OCR MEI C1 2009 Q4 [3]}}