Where to start with factoring
You are asked to find the roots and factors of the following polynomial function:
\( f(x) = x^4 - 2x^3 - 18x^2 + 6x + 45 \)
By the rational root theorem, possible rational roots are
\( \pm ( 1, 3, 5, 9, 15, 45 ) \).
In order to minimize your effort, you know that you should begin with the possibility that is most likely to be a root. Which roots are most likely?
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