SOLUTION: The question is: If the function f(x) has the lowest possible degree then the multiplicity of the zero at 1 is____? I thought the lowest degree would be degree zero so that th

Question 1102160: The question is:
If the function f(x) has the lowest possible degree then the multiplicity of the zero at 1 is____?
I thought the lowest degree would be degree zero so that the function would be a straight horizontal line y=some number. The answer is a multiplicity of 2. I don't understand.
Thanks
Answer by greenestamps(13200) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

With the question as you show it, all we know is that there is a root at x=1.

With only that, the answer can't be that the multiplicity is 0, as you say you thought it should be; a multiplicity of 0 would mean there is not a root there.

But with nothing else in the given information, you could certainly have a root of multiplicity 1 at x=1; y=x-1 would be the simplest example.

So if the correct answer is that the root has to have multiplicity 2, then there is something missing in your statement of the problem.
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