Lesson Plan: Zeros of Polynomial Functions Mathematics
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to find the set of zeros of a quadratic, cubic, or higher-degree polynomial function.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- recognize that the function , where , only has zeros in the case where ,
- validate if a given value is a zero of a given polynomial function,
- find the set of zeros of a linear function,
- find the set of zeros of a quadratic function,
- find the set of zeros of a cubic function,
- find the set of zeros of a higher-degree function providing it can be factored directly or using substitution,
- find unknown coefficients of a polynomial function given a zero or a set of zeros for this function.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- solving quadratic equations by factoring or by using the quadratic formula,
- factoring, including factoring by regrouping,
- functions and sets,
- polynomial division.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- numerical methods to calculate zeros of polynomials,
- synthetic division,
- complex roots,
- nonpolynomial functions.