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Descartes' rule of signs will not necessarily tell exact number of complex roots, but will give an idea. The Wikipedia article explains it pretty well, but here is a brief explanation:

It is for single variable polynomials.

  • Order the polynomial in descending powers [example: f(x) = ax³ + bx² + cx + d]
  • Count number of sign changes between consecutive coefficients. This is the maximum possible real positive roots.
  • Let function g(x) = f(-x), count number of sign changes, which is maximum number of real negative roots.

Note these are maximums, not the actual numbers. Let p = positive maximum and q = negative maximum. Let m be the order (maximum power of the variable), which is also the total number of roots.

So m - p - q = minimum number of complex roots. Note complex roots always occur in pairs, so number of complex roots will be {0, 2, 4, etc}.

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Q: How could you use Descartes' rule to predict the number of complex roots to a polynomial?
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What is the relationship between the degree of a polynomial and the number of roots it has?

In answering this question it is important that the roots are counted along with their multiplicity. Thus a double root is counted as two roots, and so on. The degree of a polynomial is exactly the same as the number of roots that it has in the complex field. If the polynomial has real coefficients, then a polynomial with an odd degree has an odd number of roots up to the degree, while a polynomial of even degree has an even number of roots up to the degree. The difference between the degree and the number of roots is the number of complex roots which come as complex conjugate pairs.


How do you find out the number of imaginary zeros in a polynomial?

Descartes' rule of signs (see related link) can help you determine the maximum number of real roots. If the polynomial is odd powered, then there will be at least one real root. Any even powered polynomial can be factored into a bunch of quadratics [though they may not be rational or even pretty], and any odd-powered polynomial can be factored into a bunch of quadratics and one linear (this one would have the real root). So the quadratics may have pairs of real or complex roots (having an imaginary component).To clarify, when I say complex, I'm referring to the fact that there will be an imaginary component to the root, because actually the real numbers is a subset of the set of complex numbers.The order of the polynomial will tell you how many roots it will have. If you can graph the polynomial, then you can see if it crosses the x axis. If it is a 5th order polynomial, and crosses the x axis 3 times, then there are 3 real roots (the other two roots are complex).


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Related questions

What is an algebraic number?

An algebraic number is a complex number which is the root of a polynomial equation with rational coefficients.


What is the relationship between the degree of a polynomial and the number of roots it has?

In answering this question it is important that the roots are counted along with their multiplicity. Thus a double root is counted as two roots, and so on. The degree of a polynomial is exactly the same as the number of roots that it has in the complex field. If the polynomial has real coefficients, then a polynomial with an odd degree has an odd number of roots up to the degree, while a polynomial of even degree has an even number of roots up to the degree. The difference between the degree and the number of roots is the number of complex roots which come as complex conjugate pairs.


How do you find out the number of imaginary zeros in a polynomial?

Descartes' rule of signs (see related link) can help you determine the maximum number of real roots. If the polynomial is odd powered, then there will be at least one real root. Any even powered polynomial can be factored into a bunch of quadratics [though they may not be rational or even pretty], and any odd-powered polynomial can be factored into a bunch of quadratics and one linear (this one would have the real root). So the quadratics may have pairs of real or complex roots (having an imaginary component).To clarify, when I say complex, I'm referring to the fact that there will be an imaginary component to the root, because actually the real numbers is a subset of the set of complex numbers.The order of the polynomial will tell you how many roots it will have. If you can graph the polynomial, then you can see if it crosses the x axis. If it is a 5th order polynomial, and crosses the x axis 3 times, then there are 3 real roots (the other two roots are complex).


Do every polynomial function has at least one complex zero?

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