CAIE P2 2014 June — Question 6

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP2 (Pure Mathematics 2)
Year2014
SessionJune
TopicFactor & Remainder Theorem
TypeProve root count with given polynomial

6 The polynomial \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is defined by $$\mathrm { p } ( x ) = x ^ { 3 } + 2 x + a$$ where \(a\) is a constant.
  1. Given that \(( x + 2 )\) is a factor of \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\), find the value of \(a\).
  2. When \(a\) has this value, find the quotient when \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is divided by ( \(x + 2\) ) and hence show that the equation \(\mathrm { p } ( x ) = 0\) has exactly one real root.