A student claims: 'Every cubic polynomial has at least one stationary point.' Which cubic is a counterexample?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C.
- Step 1: A stationary point needs to have a real solution.
- Step 2: For , for all real , so there is no stationary point.
- Step 3: The other cubics have derivatives , , and , each of which has a real root.
Answer
.
Why not the others: A cubic's derivative is a quadratic, which has real roots only when its discriminant is non-negative; for the discriminant is negative.
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