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For each pair of polynomials given, find all points of intersection of their graphs.
The purpose of this discussion is for students to see and understand the different ways their classmates solved the questions in the activity. Select one student per question to share their solutions. Encourage students to ask clarifying questions about why different solving steps were used. After each student shares, ask if any students solved the question a different way, and invite those students to share their steps.
If not brought up in students’ explanations for the 2nd or 3rd questions, display this set of equations for all to see:
Ask students:
Conclude the discussion by asking students if it is possible for a system of equations with two quadratic functions to have 3 solutions. If possible, display a graph with two quadratics whose shapes can be manipulated, to help convince students that 2 is the maximum number of solutions for distinct quadratic functions.
Arrange students in groups of 2. Introduce the context functions. Use Co-Craft Questions to familiarize students with the context and to elicit possible mathematical questions.
Graphing technology is needed for every student.
Consider the functions and .
If students are unsure of how to find a possible factor of , consider asking:
The goal of this discussion is for students to see how to use technology to answer an algebraic question involving a higher-degree polynomial. Invite students to share the polynomial that they wrote. If possible, display several versions of for all to see, and use the graph to estimate the -values where . If this is not possible, ask students to share the solutions they estimated. Students should understand that not all polynomials can be factored by hand, and that technology is a valuable tool for helping us interpret such polynomials.
Then ask students to suggest possible factors of . After a few suggestions, ask students how they could prove something is a factor. For now, it is important that students understand that the only way to prove something like is a factor of is to find the quadratic function that satisfies , where , , and are real numbers. Tell students that the next lessons are about how to do this.