In Try This 4 and Share 3 you may have discovered that the following values are identical when given a polynomial equation with one side equal to zero:
These relationships are illustrated in Zeros, Roots, x-intercepts.
Having zero on one side of the equation is crucial. If the equation had been something like (2x − 3)(x + 1)(x − 2) = 7 (note the 7 instead of 0), the zeros of the polynomial on the left side would not be the same as the root of the equation (x = 2.7481…)
Add the following terms to your copy of Glossary Terms: