the question was using the polynomial
P(x)=x^2-4, evaluate P(-x)
I did P(-x)=(-x)^2-4
(-x=2)(-x-2)
Is this correct? Thanks for looking over my work.
sorry I wrote the answer wrong
it was supposed to be
(-x+2)(-x-2)
Is this correct?
correct. Or,
(-(x-2))(-(x+2)) = (x-2)(x+2) = x^2-4
However, I think the point of the exercise was that since all powers of x are even, P(x) is an even function, so P(-x) = P(x).
Good attempt, but there is a small mistake in your calculation. Let's go through it step by step to correct it:
You correctly started by substituting -x into the polynomial P(x): P(-x) = (-x)^2 - 4.
Next, we need to simplify this expression. (-x)^2 means multiplying -x by itself: (-x)^2 = (-x) * (-x) = x * x = x^2.
Now we can substitute the simplified expression into our original polynomial: P(-x) = x^2 - 4.
So, the correct expression is P(-x) = x^2 - 4.
Therefore, the answer to the question "Evaluate P(-x)" is simply x^2 - 4.
Let me know if you have any further questions or if there's anything else I can help you with!