Graphical Behavior
Graphs of Polynomials
Examples
Here is an example of a third degree polynomial with three real roots and a positive leading coefficient.
![Graph_Behavior_ex1 Graph_Behavior_ex1](https://claregladwinresd.glk12.org/pluginfile.php/2196/mod_book/chapter/4705/Polynomials/Graph_Behavior_ex1.png)
Below is a polynomial with two real roots and a negative leading coefficient. Notice that even though this is a cubic equation, there are only two real roots. The rule states that a cubic can have at most three real roots, but it can have less than three. The other roots will be represented by imaginary numbers.