The factor theorem states that is a zero of a polynomial if and only if is a factor of that polynomial, i.e. if and only if for some other polynomial . With that in mind, the multiplicity of a zero denotes the number of times that appears as a factor. For example, has a zero at of multiplicity 6. On the graph, the multiplicity of a zero tells you whether the function crosses the axis (in the case that the multiplicity is odd) or simply touches the axis (in the case that the multiplicity is even).