Analyzing the Setup
We are given that f(x) is a quadratic polynomial with one root at x=3. According to the Factor Theorem, (x−3) must be a factor of the polynomial.
Since f(x) is a quadratic, it must possess exactly two roots. Let the unknown second root be denoted by k.
We can express the polynomial in its factored form as:
f(x)=a(x−3)(x−k)
Here,
a is a non-zero constant representing the leading coefficient of the parabola.
The Power of the Condition
The problem provides the constraint f(−1)+f(2)=0. To utilize this, we evaluate the function at the given points.
For
x=−1:
f(−1)=a(−1−3)(−1−k)=a(−4)(−1−k)=4a(1+k)
For
x=2:
f(2)=a(2−3)(2−k)=a(−1)(2−k)=a(k−2)
The Algebraic Symphony
We now substitute these expressions into the given condition
f(−1)+f(2)=0:
4a(1+k)+a(k−2)=0
Since
$a
eq 0$, we can divide the entire equation by
a:
4(1+k)+(k−2)=0
Expanding the terms, we obtain:
4+4k+k−2=0
5k+2=0
Solving for the unknown root
k:
k=−52=−0.4
Final Placement
We have determined that the second root of the quadratic polynomial is k=−0.4.
On the real number line, the value −0.4 is located between −1 and 0. Therefore, the root lies in the interval (−1,0).