Question

Using the distributive property to find the product (y – 4)(y2 + 4y + 16) results in a polynomial of the form y3 + 4y2 + ay – 4y2 – ay – 64. What is the value of a in the polynomial?

Answer 1

( y - 4 ) ( y² + 4 y + 16 ) = y³ + 4 y² + 16 y - 4 y² - 16 y - 64
The result is a polynomial of the form:
y³ + 4 y² + a y - 4 y² - a y + 64;
Answer: a = 16