eli5 – What does root of an polynomial mean and what’s its importance?

Question

eli5 – What does root of an polynomial mean and what’s its importance?

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Answer 1

the roots of a polynomial are the places it crosses the X-axis, that is to say, the X values for which the Y values equal 0.

every polynomial can be rewritten in terms of its roots, and this is called factoring. a factored polynomial is much easier to deal with, whether you’re trying to solve for a specific value or if you’re doing some more complicated analysis.