Let be a polynomial function such that
Then
is equal to:
- A
- B
- C
- D
Let be a polynomial function such that
Then
is equal to:
Correct answer:B
Standard Method
Given:
for all .
Find:
Use the substitution
so that
Then
and since
we get
Therefore,
so
Now evaluate the integral:
Hence,
Substituting the limits,
Therefore, the value of the integral is , so the correct option is B.
Polynomial Identity Approach
Given: The identity
holds for all real .
Find: The value of
Because the expression on the right depends only on , set
Then
and
So,
Expanding,
Hence the polynomial is
Integrate term by term:
Therefore, the correct option is B.
A common mistake is to replace by . This is incorrect because is evaluated at the input . First set a new variable such as , then rewrite the entire identity in terms of .
Students often compute incorrectly after substitution. If , then , not . Expand carefully before combining like terms.
Another mistake is to find correctly but then integrate incorrectly. The antiderivative of is , not . Integrate each term separately and apply the limits at the end.
Get unlimited AI-adaptive practice, mastery tracking, and an AI tutor that explains every step — free to start.