Use synthetic division to evaluate the function for the indicated value of x.

Question

f(x)=3x^4-11x^3+8x+2;x=2

Answer 1

This is called synthetic substitution. It works exactly like synthetic division. All you care about is the final number, the remainder, R, which also represents the y-value of the function at x=a, aka f(a).

With this example, be sure to include a 0 to represent the absence of a quadratic (x²) term:

2 |. 3. -11. 0. 8. 2

6. -10. -20. -24

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3. -5. -10. -12. -22

f(2) = -22