함수의 연속

$f(x)$ is a polynomial, so it's continuous everywhere. If we can find values $a$ and $b$ so that $f(a)>0$ and $f(b)<0$, then by the IVT, there will exist some $c$ in $(a,b)$ where $f(c)=0$; that is, there is a root in the interval $[a,b]$. Let's start plugging in easy values of $x$.

$f(0)=15$, and $f(1)=1-15+9-18+15=-8$. Since 0 is between $f(0)$ and $f(1)$, and since $f$ is continuous, by IVT there must be some $x$ in $[0,1]$ for which $f(x)=0$: that is, there is some root in $[0,1]$.

That was the easiest interval to find. If you keep playing around, you find two more. $f(-1)=26$ (positive) and $f(-2)=-1001$ (negative), so there is a root in $[-2,-1]$.

The arithmetic is nasty, but there is also a root in $[14,15]$.

This is an important trick. For high-degree polynomials, it is often impossible to get the exact values of the roots. Using the IVT, we can at least give a range where a root must be.