Roots of a nth degree polynomial

In summary, the fundamental theorem of algebra states that every nth degree polynomial equation has at least one root in the complex numbers. There are several proofs for this theorem, with one being simpler but longer and the other more sophisticated and shorter. This theorem does not hold for polynomials with p-adic coefficients.
  • #1
ajayguhan
153
1
why does a nth degree polynomial has atleast one root and a maximum of n root...?

In my book it's given, it's the fundamental theorem of algebra.


Is there a proof...?





Thank's for help. (In advance)
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Roots over what? A polynomial with real coefficients does not necessarily have any real roots, though it does have n roots over the complex numbers. The wikipedia article on "The fundamental theorem of algebra" contains several proofs.
 
  • #3
It's not specified, i guess it over real number. I saw wikipedia but the proof are difficult .
 
  • #4
Sadly, many proofs are difficult. Some are even book length.
 
  • #5
The "fundamental theorem of algebra" is normally stated as "every polynomial equation has at least one root in the complex numbers." Since a root, a, implies "z- a" is a factor, we can reduce to another equation of degree n-1, which has a root, then to a polynomial of degree n-2, which has a root, etc. until we are reduce to a linear polynomial. What we might call "the extended fundamental of algebra" says that any nthe degree polynomial has n roots where we are counting "multiple roots". That is, [itex]z^3- 3z^2+ 3z- 1= 0[/itex], [itex](z- 1)^3= 0[/itex] has three roots, all of them equal to "1".

Yes, there are a number of proofs. Two distinctly different proofs, one using very basic properties of algebra and fairly lengthy, the other much more sophisticated and shorter.

The simpler, but longer, proof can be found on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_theorem_of_algebra
which I found by googling "fundamental theorem of algebra".
 
  • #6
HallsofIvy said:
The "fundamental theorem of algebra" is normally stated as "every polynomial equation has at least one root in the complex numbers."

Unless your coefficients are [strike]p-adics[/strike] :-p

Edit: Well technically ##C_p## is isomorphic to ##\mathbb{C}## but only through AoC.
 
Last edited:

Related to Roots of a nth degree polynomial

What is a nth degree polynomial?

An nth degree polynomial is a mathematical expression with a variable raised to the nth power, where n is a non-negative integer. It can also be represented as a function of the form f(x) = anxn + an-1xn-1 + ... + a1x + a0, where an to a0 are constants and x is the variable.

What are the roots of a nth degree polynomial?

The roots of a nth degree polynomial are the values of the variable that make the polynomial equation equal to zero. In other words, they are the solutions to the polynomial equation.

How do you find the roots of a nth degree polynomial?

The roots of a nth degree polynomial can be found by factoring the polynomial equation and setting each factor equal to zero. The values that satisfy the equation are the roots of the polynomial.

What is the fundamental theorem of algebra?

The fundamental theorem of algebra states that every nth degree polynomial equation has n complex roots, where n is a positive integer. This means that a polynomial of degree n will have n solutions, including both real and imaginary roots.

What is the connection between the roots of a nth degree polynomial and its graph?

The roots of a nth degree polynomial are the x-intercepts of its graph. This means that the points where the polynomial equation crosses the x-axis are the roots of the polynomial. Similarly, the y-intercept of the graph represents the constant term of the polynomial equation.

Similar threads

  • General Math
Replies
14
Views
733
  • General Math
Replies
5
Views
999
  • General Math
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
6K
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
14
Views
2K
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
14
Views
868
Replies
14
Views
1K
Back
Top