If is a polynomial, and , , , and , then what is the minimum possible degree of ?
Solution
1. Given Points and Polynomial Degree:
We are given the points , , , , and . To determine the minimum possible degree of the polynomial , we start by noting that a polynomial of degree is uniquely determined by points. Since we have 5 points, the polynomial could be of degree at most 4.
2. Checking for Degree 3:
To check if a polynomial of degree 3 could fit these points, we assume is a cubic polynomial:
We need to determine if there exist coefficients , , , and such that the polynomial passes through the given points.
3. System of Equations:
Substituting the given points into the polynomial, we get the following system of equations:
Simplifying these equations, we get:
4. Solving the System:
We solve this system of linear equations to find the coefficients , , , and . However, solving this system shows that there is no consistent solution for , , , and that satisfies all five equations simultaneously. This indicates that a cubic polynomial cannot fit all the given points.
5. Conclusion:
Since a cubic polynomial (degree 3) cannot fit the given points, the minimum possible degree of the polynomial must be 4.
The final answer is .