Answer:
The volume of a rectangular prism is simply the product of its three dimensions: in your case, the volume of the prism is, given
x
,
(
x
+
6
)
(
x
−
2
)
(
x
−
1
)
.
A polynomial is a sum (with some coefficients) of powers of
x
, so, if we expand the product just written, we have
(
(
x
+
6
)
(
x
−
2
)
)
(
x
−
1
)
=
(
x
2
−
2
x
+
6
x
−
12
)
(
x
−
1
)
=
(
x
2
+
4
x
−
12
)
(
x
−
1
)
=
x
3
+
4
x
2
−
12
x
−
x
2
−
4
x
+
12
=
x
3
+
3
x
2
−
16
x
+
12
Which is a polynomial, and expresses the volume of the prism
Explanation:
The volume of a rectangular prism is simply the product of its three dimensions: in your case, the volume of the prism is, given
x
,
(
x
+
6
)
(
x
−
2
)
(
x
−
1
)
.
A polynomial is a sum (with some coefficients) of powers of
x
, so, if we expand the product just written, we have
(
(
x
+
6
)
(
x
−
2
)
)
(
x
−
1
)
=
(
x
2
−
2
x
+
6
x
−
12
)
(
x
−
1
)
=
(
x
2
+
4
x
−
12
)
(
x
−
1
)
=
x
3
+
4
x
2
−
12
x
−
x
2
−
4
x
+
12
=
x
3
+
3
x
2
−
16
x
+
12
Which is a polynomial, and expresses the volume of the prism