SOLVING POLYNOMIALS BY SUCCESSIVE SYNTHETIC DIVISION
Casio CFX-9850/Plus

This is a pseudo menu-driven program that solves polynomials by successively reducing the degree of the polynomial by synthetic division to a quadratic. Although the quadratic could be solved by further synthetic division if it has real zeros, the quadratic solution will provide imaginary roots as well as real roots. Nevertheless, it is left to the student to choose the method from the menu.

To conserve memory, and in deference to those who are going to enter this program by hand, I have written this program so that all coefficients are entered at the same time. As an example, suppose that you want to divide x³+4x² +6x +3 by x+1. When the program prompts "ZERO=" respond with -1. When it prompts "COEFFS=", respond with {1,4,6,3}. Be sure to use braces rather than brackets or parentheses. Since you’re inputting to a list, List 1, you’ll get an error if you don’t. This is a program using lists. So, if you get errors, first thing to look for is parentheses or brackets where there should be braces.

Memory Usage etc.:  This version of the program uses 421 bytes of memory. I estimate it will take an inexperienced programmer about 20 minutes to enter by hand. If you don't know how to enter the coding, there's a list on page 453 of the Casio Cfx-9850GB Plus User's Guide. Look at page 371 of that same guide for hints on what the coding does. Some of the programs have keystrokes, but I haven't gotten to that on this one yet. I may also include some often-used entries on my web page. Look for it if you need it.

DISCLAIMER:  This program is free, and, therefore, I make no claims about it's efficacy, efficiency, or proper operation.  If you find a problem with this program, or can suggest an improvement, please e-mail me at knosummath@aol.com  .

Last Revised: 9/30/04