There are 23 NRICH Mathematical resources connected to Polynomial functions and their roots, you may find related items under Coordinates, functions and graphs.
Broad Topics > Coordinates, functions and graphs > Polynomial functions and their roots
This problem challenges you to find cubic equations which satisfy different conditions.
How do scores on dice and factors of polynomials relate to each other?
Take a complicated fraction with the product of five quartics top and bottom and reduce this to a whole number. This is a numerical example involving some clever algebra.
Quadratic graphs are very familiar, but what patterns can you explore with cubics?
To find the integral of a polynomial, evaluate it at some special points and add multiples of these values.
Find the largest integer which divides every member of the following sequence: 1^5-1, 2^5-2, 3^5-3, ... n^5-n.
Find the polynomial p(x) with integer coefficients such that one solution of the equation p(x)=0 is $1+\sqrt 2+\sqrt 3$.
Given any two polynomials in a single variable it is always possible to eliminate the variable and obtain a formula showing the relationship between the two polynomials. Try this one.
Given a set of points (x,y) with distinct x values, find a polynomial that goes through all of them, then prove some results about the existence and uniqueness of these polynomials.
Find the relationship between the locations of points of inflection, maxima and minima of functions.
Exploit the symmetry and turn this quartic into a quadratic.
Step back and reflect! This article reviews techniques such as substitution and change of coordinates which enable us to exploit underlying structures to crack problems.
Observe symmetries and engage the power of substitution to solve complicated equations.
What have Fibonacci numbers to do with solutions of the quadratic equation x^2 - x - 1 = 0 ?
A sequence of polynomials starts 0, 1 and each poly is given by combining the two polys in the sequence just before it. Investigate and prove results about the roots of the polys.
This article only skims the surface of Galois theory and should probably be accessible to a 17 or 18 year old school student with a strong interest in mathematics.
Janine noticed, while studying some cube numbers, that if you take three consecutive whole numbers and multiply them together and then add the middle number of the three, you get the middle number. Does this always work? Can you prove or disprove this conjecture?
Prove that the graph of f(x) = x^3 - 6x^2 +9x +1 has rotational symmetry. Do graphs of all cubics have rotational symmetry?
Find relationships between the polynomials a, b and c which are polynomials in n giving the sums of the first n natural numbers, squares and cubes respectively.
Two cubes, each with integral side lengths, have a combined volume equal to the total of the lengths of their edges. How big are the cubes? [If you find a result by 'trial and error' you'll need to prove you have found all possible solutions.]
In y = ax +b when are a, -b/a, b in arithmetic progression. The polynomial y = ax^2 + bx + c has roots r1 and r2. Can a, r1, b, r2 and c be in arithmetic progression?
If x, y and z are real numbers such that: x + y + z = 5 and xy + yz + zx = 3. What is the largest value that any of the numbers can have?