Graphically

Graphically

Finding Solutions

Example 1

By looking at the graph, how many roots does this equation have?

-x3 + 5x2 - 3x - 3 = 0

Step 1. Create the corresponding function.

PolyGraphEx1-1

Step 2. Make a graph of the function.

PolyGraphEx1-2

Step 3. Count the number of x-intercepts of the graph.

Since there are three x-intercepts of the graph, there are three roots of the equation.