You use it to determine the polynomial function.
We can use it for higher degree polynomials but let’s use a cubic as an example. Suppose we have the : -3 2.5 and 4. So:
##x=-3##
##x+3=0##
##x=2.5##
##x=5/2##
##2x=5## multiply both sides by denominator
##2x-5=0##
##x=4##
##x-4=0##
So the polynomial function is ##P(x)=(x+3)(2x-5)(x-4)##. Note that we can leave the second root as ##(x-2.5)## because a proper polynomial function has integer coefficients. It’s also a good idea to put this polynomial into standard form:
##P(x)=2x^3-7x^2-19x+60##
The common mistake in this problem is the sign of the roots. So make sure you do the individuals steps to avoid this mistake.