Edexcel C2 2010 January — Question 3

Exam BoardEdexcel
ModuleC2 (Core Mathematics 2)
Year2010
SessionJanuary
TopicFactor & Remainder Theorem
TypeOne factor, one non-zero remainder

3. $$f ( x ) = 2 x ^ { 3 } + a x ^ { 2 } + b x - 6$$ where \(a\) and \(b\) are constants.
When \(\mathrm { f } ( x )\) is divided by \(( 2 x - 1 )\) the remainder is - 5 .
When \(\mathrm { f } ( x )\) is divided by \(( x + 2 )\) there is no remainder.
  1. Find the value of \(a\) and the value of \(b\).
  2. Factorise \(\mathrm { f } ( x )\) completely.