Answer:
3) -4 and 6
Step-by-step explanation:
I find it easiest to solve these by factoring. Here, you're looking for factors of the constant (-24) that have a sum equal to the coefficient of the linear term (-2). You know the divisors of 24 are ...
-24 = 1(-24) = 2(-12) = 3(-8) = 4(-6)
The sums of these factors are, respectively, -23, -10, -5, -2. So, the last pair of factors are the ones we're looking for. These are the constants that go into the binomial factors of the function:
p(x) = x^2 -2x -24
p(x) = (x +4)(x -6)
Then the zeros are the values of x that make these factors zero:
x +4 = 0 ⇒ x = -4
x -6 = 0 ⇒ x = 6
The zeros of the function are -4 and 6.
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The graph of the function confirms these values.
