CAIE P2 2023 November — Question 5

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP2 (Pure Mathematics 2)
Year2023
SessionNovember
TopicFactor & Remainder Theorem
TypeOne factor, one non-zero remainder

5 The polynomial \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is defined by $$\mathrm { p } ( x ) = 6 x ^ { 3 } + a x ^ { 2 } + b x - 20$$ where \(a\) and \(b\) are constants. It is given that \(( x + 2 )\) is a factor of \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) and that the remainder is - 11 when \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is divided by \(( x + 1 )\).
  1. Find the values of \(a\) and \(b\).
  2. Hence factorise \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\), and determine the exact roots of the equation \(\mathrm { p } ( 3 x ) = 0\).