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WAEC SSCE - General Mathematics - 2020 (Objective)

Question 1 Report

If (x + 2) is a factor of x\(^2\) +px - 10, find the value of P. 

Answer Details
To determine the value of P, we need to use the factor theorem, which states that if (x + a) is a factor of a polynomial, then the polynomial evaluated at -a will equal zero. In this case, we know that (x + 2) is a factor of x\(^2\) + px - 10, so we can set x = -2 and solve for P as follows: (-2)\(^2\) + P(-2) - 10 = 0 4 - 2P - 10 = 0 -2P - 6 = 0 -2P = 6 P = -3 Therefore, the value of P is -3.