document.write( "Question 394166: What does my teacher want me to do when she puts this item on my study guide?
\n" ); document.write( "\"p/q where p & q are integers\" \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #279654 by stanbon(75887)\"\" \"About 
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What does my teacher want me to do when she puts this item on my study guide?
\n" ); document.write( "\"p/q where p & q are integers\"
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\n" ); document.write( "It might be best to ask your teacher.
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\n" ); document.write( "If you have a polynomial of the form
\n" ); document.write( "ax^n+bx^(n-1)+...+x+z = 0
\n" ); document.write( "the rational roots will have the
\n" ); document.write( "form p/q where p is an integer divisor
\n" ); document.write( "of z and p is an integer divisor
\n" ); document.write( "of a.
\n" ); document.write( "---
\n" ); document.write( "Example
\n" ); document.write( "If 3x^3+2x^2+x+2=0 has rational roots
\n" ); document.write( "the roots are of the form p/q where
\n" ); document.write( "p = +-1 or +-2
\n" ); document.write( "and
\n" ); document.write( "q = +-1 or +-3
\n" ); document.write( "---
\n" ); document.write( "So the rational numbers you would test
\n" ); document.write( "would be +-1,+-2,+-1/3,+-2/3
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\n" ); document.write( "If none of those are rational roots the
\n" ); document.write( "cubic has no rational roots.
\n" ); document.write( "By the way, a cubic MUST have at least
\n" ); document.write( "one rational root.
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\n" ); document.write( "Cheers,
\n" ); document.write( "Stan H. \n" ); document.write( "
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