CAIE P3 2016 March — Question 4

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP3 (Pure Mathematics 3)
Year2016
SessionMarch
TopicFactor & Remainder Theorem
TypeFind constant, factorise completely

4 The polynomial \(4 x ^ { 3 } + a x + 2\), where \(a\) is a constant, is denoted by \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\). It is given that ( \(2 x + 1\) ) is a factor of \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\).
  1. Find the value of \(a\).
  2. When \(a\) has this value,
    (a) factorise \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\),
    (b) solve the inequality \(\mathrm { p } ( x ) > 0\), justifying your answer.