Talk:A-level Mathematics/OCR/C1/Polynomials

Factor Theorem
User:thebhgg asks: I don't follow what is being said in the Factor Theorem section. Is the point to tell students that rational roots of polynomials must be of the form $$\frac{a_0}{a_n}$$? I don't see how that is a special case of the Remainder Theorem. If that is not the point, then when is it explained to students? It isn't an obvious fact, but it is used in this section without explanation.

If the point of the Factor Theorem is to say that if $$f(a)=0$$ i.e. you have found a root, then $$f(x)$$ can be divided evenly by $$x-a$$ (and vice versa), then that's what should be said.

Syllabus
The Factor and Remainder Theorems do not seem to actually be part of C1, or at least I can't find them there in the syllabus. --Aleksev 20:21, 6 December 2005 (UTC)

Yes, the Factor and Remainder Theorems are part of the C2 curriculum --Keytotime 13:46, 29 April 2006 (UTC)