Question

True or False: If synthetic division is used to calculate the quotient of two polynomials, then the degree of the quotient will always be one more than the degree of the dividend.

Answer 1

@mathmale

can you help me?

Answer 2

What do you need to know here?
Are you familiar with the vocabulary, such as "degree," "quotient," "dividend?"

Answer 3

Yes but I don't really remember everything. I want to know if that's true or false

Answer 4

I'd like to help, but just giving you the answer will not help you in the long run.
Which of the vocabulary is clear and which is not? Please look up the voc. that is unclear. Then we can proceed further.

Answer 5

Okay. I did

Answer 6

what do you still need to know?

Answer 7

well I just don't get the question

Answer 8

What is the degree of y = x^5 - 4x^3 + 7x -14?
of y = x^3 +8?

Answer 9

-2?

Answer 10

Happy to help you, so long as you are contributing, looking up vocabulary wherever necessary, asking questions. You have to be involved.
"Degree" is not and cannot be negative. In any case, neither of the polynomials I gave you as examples has degree 2. Again, if you do not know the meaning of any of the vocab., please look it up. I have 43 years of experience teaching math and can usually tell when a student is just trying to guess.

Answer 11

What is the degree of y = x^5 - 4x^3 + 7x -14?
of y = x^3 +8?

Define "degree" as it applies to this situatino (algebra).

Answer 12

ohh so the degree is 5 and 3?

Answer 13

Yes. That's better. Now suppose you divide the 5th degree poly by the 3rd degree poly.
What degree will the quotient have? How did you get your answer?

Answer 14

um I don't remember how to dived degrees

Answer 15

would it be x^2?

Answer 16

Define "degree" as it applies to this situation (algebra).

Answer 17

For a term with one variable, the degree is the variable's exponent.

Answer 18

Re: "would it be x^2?" No. "Degree" is just positive, integer number; one does not include "x^2" in specifying degree. If you have a textbook, look for an example of synthetic division so that we could discuss something concrete.

Answer 19

Which is the polynomial with degree 5: the divisor, the dividend, or the quotient?
Which is the poly with degree 3: the divisor, the dividend, or the quotient?

Answer 20

The polynomial with degree 5 is the dividend

Answer 21

Right. You are dividing that polynomial by the other polynomial. How do you determine the degree the quotient will have? What is that degree?

Answer 22

Will it be the biggest degree? So degree 5