CAIE P2 2017 November — Question 5

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP2 (Pure Mathematics 2)
Year2017
SessionNovember
TopicFactor & Remainder Theorem
TypeSingle polynomial, two remainder/factor conditions

5 The polynomial \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is defined by $$\mathrm { p } ( x ) = a x ^ { 3 } + b x ^ { 2 } + 37 x + 10$$ where \(a\) and \(b\) are constants. It is given that \(( x + 2 )\) is a factor of \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\). It is also given that the remainder is 40 when \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) is divided by ( \(2 x - 1\) ).
  1. Find the values of \(a\) and \(b\).
  2. When \(a\) and \(b\) have these values, factorise \(\mathrm { p } ( x )\) completely.