Remainder Theorem

Remainder Theorem statement:

Let p(x) be any polynomial of degree greater than or equal to one and let a be any real number. If p(x) is divided by the linear polynomial x – a, then the remainder is p(a).

Proof : Let p(x) be any polynomial with degree greater than or equal to 1. Suppose that when p(x) is divided by x – a, the quotient is q(x) and the remainder is r(x), i.e., p(x) = (x – a) q(x) + r(x)

Since the degree of x – a is 1 and the degree of r(x) is less than the degree of x – a, the degree of r(x) = 0. This means that r(x) is a constant, say r.

So, for every value of x, r(x) = r.

Therefore, p(x) = (x – a) q(x) + r

In particular, if x = a, this equation gives us p(a) = (a – a) q(a) + r = r, which proves the theorem.

Examples for Remainder Theorem