/sci/ - Science & Math

Post the hardest or most advanced maths you know.

Here's mine. It's how to graph and solve the value of x of quadratic and polynomial equations via factorizing and expansion.

I've stumbled upon a problem, it seems i lack the knowledge of how to transform ploynomials, here is the example

p(x)=-1(x-1+i)(x-1-i)(x+2)(x-4)
and the transformation
p(x)=x^4-10x^2-20x-16

Just one quick question that has been pestering me for a while, how do you know where the function begins if you are given an equation of a polynomial? Under or over the x-axis ?

the example is p(x)=-(x+3)(x+1)^2(x-1)^3(x-4)^2