I was wondering this myself, especially when I'm dealing with factors that have rational terms--i.e., (x-a/b). Those are a lot of terms to test via the Factor Theorem. I was thinking there must be a shortcut or something (aside from using my computer ;) ).
I was under the impression that any polynomial could be factored by using the Factor Theorem and synthetic division, but then I got to thinking: What if a polynomial has factors in the form (bx-a), as opposed to (x-a)? I can't find them with the Factor Theorem, so what do I do?
I imagine the...
Ok, I think I may have discovered what had me so confused all this time. In the physics book I'm currently reading, they give the equation for "work" as W=F*d, but then define F as the net force acting on some object (upon which work is done) over d! But, shouldn't F really be only the force...
whozum & Adrian: Thanks for the help, guys. It's finally making sense. Now I can continue with my frustratingly terse book (Basic Physics: A Self-Teaching Guide). :)
Adrian Baker: Thanks for your reply. If I understand you correctly, Earth's gravitational pull varies according to the mass of the object it's acting on?
With question #2, I confess I'm still a tad bit confused. Doesn't a non-zero force always cause acceleration? For example, say I apply an...
I'm an adult doing the self-education thing, having dropped out of high-school (big mistake, incidentally). I have a couple basic physics questions that I can't seem to find the answers to:
1) If F=ma, why do all objects the same distance from the Earth's surface accelerate at 9.8 m/s^2...