Precalculus: Part 1

Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Directions
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At the end of each module, you will have application problems that will help you apply the skills taught
throughout the module. You will only submit your work to these application problems in the modules listed
on the course page.

Be sure to save this document where you know how and where to find it. This template is a place for you to
show your work and present your solutions. Make sure your work is clear and you show all of your steps that
you took to solve the application problem.

You CAN do your work on paper, take an image of your work, and paste that image onto this template.

Choose TWO problems from each module to complete. Circle the two questions from each module you
selected to solve.

Module 5: (Pick 2)
1. Subtracting Complex Numbers
2. Dividing Complex Numbers
3. Basketball Free Throws

of
4. Roller Coaster Design

Module 6: (Pick 2)
1. Graph of a Cubic Polynomial
2. Detecting Errors in the Argument
3. XYZ Moving Company Charity
4. Finding the Real Zeros of a Polynomial Function

Module 7: (Pick 2)
1. XYZ Moving Truck Rental
2. Straight-Line Depreciation
3. Advertising and Sales Revenue

0
4. Putting a Piece of Furniture in a Van
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 5 Application Problem #1

Kristy is working on her homework assignment and tried to solve the complex number
subtraction problem 3 − 4𝑖 − −8 + 7𝑖 using the equation in the lesson but got the answer
wrong. Her work is shown below.
3 − 4𝑖 − −8 + 7𝑖 = 3 − 4 −8𝑖 + 7𝑖
= −1 − −1𝑖
= −1 + 𝑖

A. Explain to Kristy why she got the answer wrong.

B. Explain what Kristy should do to correct her work.

C. Find the correct answer to the problem.

D. Demonstrate to Kristy the correct process by solving this complex number subtraction problem:
(−5 + 2𝑖) (−4 − 8𝑖)
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 5 Application Problem #2

Kristy is getting some extra practice dividing complex polynomials. She is working on the problem
1 − 3𝑖 ÷ −3 + 14𝑖

Kristy’s work is shown below.

(1 − 3𝑖) (1 − 3𝑖) (3 − 14𝑖)

= ⋅
−3 + 14𝑖 (−3 + 14𝑖) (3 − 14𝑖)
1 3 + (3𝑖 14𝑖)
=
−3 3 + (14𝑖 (−14𝑖)

(3 + 42𝑖 )
=
(−9 − 196 )

(3 + 42 −1 )
=
(−9 − 196 −1 )

(3 − 42)
=
(−9 + 196)

39
= −
187

Kristy made two mistakes in her problem.

Didn’t calculate the product of the numerator correctly
A. What are the two mistakes Kristy made?

B. What should Kristy do differently to find the Didn’t calculate the correct dominator
correct answer? Simplify the equation remove brackets and then solve

C. Find the correct answer to Kristy’s problem.

D. Demonstrate how to correctly divide complex

polynomials by solving the complex division
problem

(1 − 𝑖) ÷ (−5 + 3𝑖)
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 5 Application Problem #3

Jake and his friend Scott are playing basketball outside. They are arguing about who is better at free throws and
decide to model their throws with parabolas. Jake throws his basketball with the equation − 𝑥 + 3 𝑥 + 5 and
Scott throws his basketball after the equation − 𝑥 + 2𝑥 + 5 , where 𝑦 is the height of the basketball in feet and
𝑥 is the distance from the free throw line in feet. You may use technology to help you on this problem.

A. If the hoop is 10 feet high and the free throw line is 13 feet from the hoop, will both of the boys make it in the
hoop?

B. Using the equations, determine which boy is taller.

C. Which boy is better at free throws? Justify your answer.

D. Scott realizes his model must be wrong because he had a growth spurt recently and is now 5 feet tall. What
would he need to change in his equation?

E. How far away from the hoop would the ball hit the ground for each of the boys if they missed the hoop?

A,Jake misses, Scott makes the hoop,

B,Jake is taller,
C,Jake is better at free throws.
D,Scott should change k to 13.5.
E,Jake hits the ground at x roots; Scott hits the ground at x roots.

2
5 25
4 8 2
8
25 8
2
y 45 3 6 4
is
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 5 Application Problem #4

The local theme park wants help designing a new roller coaster ride. Scott and Jake decide to submit a
design. They want to model their ride with a polynomial that has three different turning points and is
downward facing. Jake says that they should use −𝑥 as their leading term, but Scott argues that they
should use a positive 𝑥 instead.

A. Which, if either, of the boys are right about their leading coefficient?

B. What is the leading coefficient you would use. Justify your answer.

C. What is the end behavior of the leading coefficient you chose?

D. Sketch an example of what the design of the roller coaster might look like.

A. Scott is correct; the leading coe cient should be

negative.
B. The leading coe cient I would use is -1 with the term -x^4 to satisfy the
conditions of the polynomial.
C. The end behavior of the chosen leading coe cient
-x^4 is that as x → in nity or → -in nity , the polynomial f(x) → - in nity .

N
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 6 Application Problem #1

According to the following graph:

Two students make the following arguments about the zeros of the function and the degree.

The zeros of the function are determined by its turning points. In this case, the zeros are 3.9, −1.9, 1, and −4.5.
The function is of degree 4 because the graph passes through the 𝑥-axis at four points.

A. The zeros of the funetion are the x-values where the graph intersecte the x-axis,
B. The degree of the function Is determined by the highest power of the variable in the
polynomial, not solely by the number of x-intercepts.
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 6 Application Problem #2

A student is asked to write the polynomial function of the
following graph.
A student submitted the following solution, but there are
mistakes in their work. Identify the mistakes in the following
submission and find the correct polynomial function.
• The 𝑥-intercepts are −2, 0, and 2. Therefore, the
polynomial function must have factors of 𝑥 + 2 , 𝑥, and
(𝑥 − 2), respectively.

• There are three turning points, so the degree of the

polynomial function must be more than 3.

• The graph touches the 𝑥-axis at 𝑥 = −2, so −2 must have

an odd multiplicity.

• The graph crosses the 𝑥-axis at 𝑥 = 0 and 𝑥 = 2, so 0 and 2

must have even multiplicity.

• Using the smallest degree possible (1 for odd multiplicity

and 2 for even multiplicity), the factors are likely 𝑥 ,
𝑥 + 2 , and 𝑥 − 2 . We can write:
𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑎𝑥 𝑥 + 2 𝑥 − 2

• All that remains is to find the leading coefficient, 𝑎. We

notice that the point (−1,6) must lie on the graph. Thus,
−1 = 𝑎 6 6 + 2 6 − 2
−1 = 𝑎 36 8 16
−1 = 𝑎 4608
1
− =𝑎
4608

• Therefore, the polynomial function is

1
𝑓 𝑥 =− 𝑥 𝑥+2 𝑥−2
4608
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 6 Application Problem #3

The owner of XYZ Moving Company implemented a donation program where his customers bought bonds for the
price of 3𝑥 − 1 dollars. The money collected is distributed to 𝑥 + 1 charity foundations. The annual bond sales
are estimated to be 𝑥 + 2𝑥 + 1. A student is asked to find the function that represents the money that each
charity would receive. He did the following steps:

Step Equation
Step 1: Multiply the price by the 3𝑥 − 1 ⋅ 𝑥 + 2𝑥 + 1 = 3𝑥 + 5𝑥 + 𝑥 − 1
annual bonds sold
Step 2: Divide this polynomial by
the number of charity
foundations, that is, 𝑥 + 1. For
this, we can use either the long
division or the synthetic division.

It will be done both ways to verify

if the result is the same.

Apparently, the result is the same, therefore the function is:

𝟖
𝒇 𝒙 = 𝟑𝒙𝟐 + 𝟖𝒙 + 𝟗 +
𝒙 𝟏

When reviewing the exercise, the teacher noticed an error because the division should have been exact (zero
remainder). Where is the error? Make the necessary corrections and find the requested function.
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 6 Application Problem #4

A group of students is asked to find in 30 seconds

the remainder when dividing the polynomial
function described in the graph by 𝑥 − 1. A
student argues that this is too little time to do it,
since they must first find the function that
describes the graph and then do the division of
polynomials to find the remainder.

Is it possible to solve this problem without doing

this operation? Why? What is the remainder?

We can do the remainder theorem and The remainder

is equal to the y-coordinate of the point where the
graph intersects
x = 1.

I
a X

f 1 a
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 7 Application Problem #1

Compare the functions:
• 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 + 4𝑥 − 2𝑥 − 5
• 𝑔 𝑥 = 𝑥 − 𝑥 − 10𝑥 + 4𝑥 + 24
• 𝑥 − 𝑥 + 2𝑥 + 3
Present an argument for why each function has the zeros that it has. Use the fundamental theorem of algebra,
the linear factorization theorem, and one other argument to support your claims.
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 7 Application Problem #2

Based on the rational zero theorem we find that there are 12 possible zeros for the function
𝑓 𝑥 = 2𝑥 + 11𝑥 − 7𝑥 − 6.
A. List the 12 possible zeros of this function.
B. How many zeros must this function have at most? Why?
C. Use Descartes' Rule of Signs to determine the possible number of zeros and negative zeros.
D. What are the zeros of this function? Explain how you got them.
E. Use the previous item to write 𝑓(𝑥) completely factored.
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 7 Application Problem #3

The concentration 𝐶 of a certain drug in a patient's bloodstream 𝑡 minutes after injections is given by
50𝑡
𝐶 𝑡 =
𝑡 + 25
A. What is the concentration of the drug 5 minutes after injection?
B. What is the concentration of the drug 10 minutes after injection?
C. Find the horizontal asymptote of 𝐶(𝑡).
D. What happens to the concentration of the drug as 𝑡 increases?

A. C(5) = 5
B. C(10) = 4
C. The horizontal asymptote
is C = 0.
D. The concentration of the drug approaches 0 as t
increases.
 Precalculus: Part 1
Module 5, 6 & 7 Application Problems

Module 7 Application Problem #4

To convert from 𝑥 degrees Celsius to 𝑦 degrees Fahrenheit, we use the formula 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 + 32. Find the
inverse function, if it exists, and explain its meaning.

Express the inverse function:

The inverse function, denoted as f^-1(y)=5/9y-160/9

Meaning of the Inverse Function

The inverse function f^-1(y)
represents the process of converting a temperature from
degrees
Fahrenheit (y) back to degrees Celsius (x).