First, perform synthetic division where -2 is the test zero (let me know if you need help with synthetic division)
-2 | 1 4 0 -16 -16
| -2 -4 8 16
------------------------
1 2 -4 -8 0
Since the last number in the bottom row is zero, this means that the remainder is 0. So -2 is a root of
The first 4 numbers form the depressed polynomial . This means that
=================================
Now perform synthetic division on using the same test zero:
-2 | 1 2 -4 -8
| -2 0 8
------------------
1 0 -4 0
Notice how the last number in the bottom row is 0. So -2 is a root of . So far, r=-2 is a root of multiplicity 2 (ie -2 is a root twice).
The first 3 numbers in the bottom row form the new polynomial . This tells us that
So
=================================
Now perform synthetic division on the polynomial
-2 | 1 0 -4
| -2 4
------------
1 -2 0
So -2 is a root of . So this means that r=-2 is a root of multiplicity 3 (ie -2 is a root three times).
The first two numbers in the bottom row form the new polynomial:
Now because -2 is NOT a root of , this means that we can stop looking for more roots of -2.
So
Or in other words,
Notice how the factor is repeated 3 times, this supports our conclusion that r=-2 is a root of multiplicity 3