Skip to content
Graphing Higher-Degree Polynomials: The Leading Coefficient Test and Finding Zeros episode artwork

Nov 1, 2026 12 min

Graphing Higher-Degree Polynomials: The Leading Coefficient Test and Finding Zeros

from Professor Dave Explains Hosted by Professor Dave Explains

By now, graphing lines seems trivial, and even graphing quadratics is a piece of cake. But what about higher-degree polynomials like cubics, quartics, and quintics? And even higher than that? It might seem quite daunting, but there are some handy tricks that will help you graph even these very complex functions. These involve using the leading coefficient test to discern the end behavior of the function, as well as plotting zeros and assessing their multiplicities in order to get a rough sketch of the function. It's not as bad as it sounds, check it out!Watch the whole Mathematics playlist: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveMathClassical Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics1Modern Physics Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics2General Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveGenChemOrganic Chemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveOrgChemBiochemistry Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBiochemBiology Tutorials: http://bit.ly/ProfDaveBioEMAIL► [email protected]► http://patreon.com/ProfessorDaveExplainsCheck out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience!Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HtNpVHBookshop: https://bit.ly/39cKADMBarnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3pUjmrn Book Depository: http://bit.ly/3aOVDlT

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Graphing Higher-Degree Polynomials: The Leading Coefficient Test and Finding Zeros

0:00 12:59

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Professor Dave Explains?

This episode is 12 minutes long.

When was this Professor Dave Explains episode published?

This episode was published on November 1, 2026.

Can I download this Professor Dave Explains episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.