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jmc

algebra senior

Problem

Given that the polynomial has only positive integer roots, find the average of all distinct possibilities for .
Solution
Let the roots of this polynomial be and . Since is the product and is the sum of the roots of , we have and . Since and are integers, both must be factors of 16. The only possible combinations for are , and the inverses of each ordered pair, which replicate values of already accounted for. Therefore, the only possible values of are 17,10, and 8, which average to .
Final answer
\frac{35}{3}