Edexcel C2 — Question 6

Exam BoardEdexcel
ModuleC2 (Core Mathematics 2)
TopicFactor & Remainder Theorem
TypeSingle polynomial, two remainder/factor conditions

6. The polynomial \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is defined by $$\mathrm { p } ( x ) = 2 x ^ { 3 } + x ^ { 2 } + a x + b ,$$ where \(a\) and \(b\) are constants.
Given that when \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is divided by \(( x + 2 )\) there is a remainder of 20 ,
  1. find an expression for \(b\) in terms of \(a\). Given also that \(( x + 3 )\) is a factor of \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\),
  2. find the values of \(a\) and \(b\),
  3. fully factorise \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\).