CAIE P2 2021 November — Question 1

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP2 (Pure Mathematics 2)
Year2021
SessionNovember
TopicFactor & Remainder Theorem
TypeOne factor, one non-zero remainder

1 The polynomial \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is defined by $$\mathrm { p } ( x ) = a x ^ { 3 } + b x - 10$$ where \(a\) and \(b\) are constants. It is given that \(( x + 2 )\) is a factor of \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) and that the remainder is - 55 when \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is divided by \(( x + 3 )\).
  1. Find the values of \(a\) and \(b\).
  2. Hence factorise \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) completely.