CAIE P2 2019 June — Question 5

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP2 (Pure Mathematics 2)
Year2019
SessionJune
TopicFactor & Remainder Theorem
TypeSingle polynomial, two remainder/factor conditions

5 The polynomial \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is defined by $$\mathrm { p } ( x ) = 5 x ^ { 3 } + a x ^ { 2 } + b x - 16$$ where \(a\) and \(b\) are constants. It is given that \(( x - 2 )\) is a factor of \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) and that the remainder is 27 when \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is divided by \(( x + 1 )\).
  1. Find the values of \(a\) and \(b\).
  2. Hence factorise \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) completely.