• Best of luck to the class of 2024 for their HSC exams. You got this!
    Let us know your thoughts on the HSC exams here
  • YOU can help the next generation of students in the community!
    Share your trial papers and notes on our Notes & Resources page
MedVision ad

Sum and Products of roots anyone? (1 Viewer)

Prawnchip

Member
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
60
Gender
Female
HSC
2014
If α and β are the roots of x2 = 5x - 8, find ³√α + ³√β without finding the roots. Anyone know how to do this?
 

Carrotsticks

Retired
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
9,494
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Form the polynomial with roots cube root alpha and cube root beta, then find the sum of roots using that polynomial.
 

Sy123

This too shall pass
Joined
Nov 6, 2011
Messages
3,730
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
If α and β are the roots of x2 = 5x - 8, find ³√α + ³√β without finding the roots. Anyone know how to do this?
Discriminant is less than zero
Moreover



Those are the LHS and RHS graphed. No intersection, therefore no roots
IMPOSSIBRU
 

Carrotsticks

Retired
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
9,494
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
It has no REAL roots, but doesn't mean no value of cube root alpha + cube root beta exists.

I think OP either mistyped the question, or posted in the wrong section (meant to be Extension 2).
 

Sy123

This too shall pass
Joined
Nov 6, 2011
Messages
3,730
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
Heh, sorry about that then, I just...yeah
 

deswa1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2011
Messages
2,256
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
-7 < 0 , no roots
impossibruuu
This is true but you can still find sums and products for roots that aren't real. Consider the equation x^2+1=0. The discriminant is less than 0, therefore there are no real roots however the sums and products of roots gives us that the sum is 0 and the product is 1. When you do find the roots (using MX2 complex numbers), the roots are i and -i which do indeed add to zero and multiply to 1.

I think Carrotsticks is right though and this should be in the MX2 section.
 

Timske

Sequential
Joined
Nov 23, 2011
Messages
794
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Uni Grad
2016
This is true but you can still find sums and products for roots that aren't real. Consider the equation x^2+1=0. The discriminant is less than 0, therefore there are no real roots however the sums and products of roots gives us that the sum is 0 and the product is 1. When you do find the roots (using MX2 complex numbers), the roots are i and -i which do indeed add to zero and multiply to 1.

I think Carrotsticks is right though and this should be in the MX2 section.
oh i deleted that post lol, OP posted in wrong section then
 

Prawnchip

Member
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
60
Gender
Female
HSC
2014
Sorry if it's in the wrong section i didn't know it was in mx2 :/ Carrotsicks can you explain? How do you form the polynomial?
 

Fus Ro Dah

Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
248
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
Prawnchip, from where did you get this question?

For some reason, it's not working out nicely for me. The usual way would be to let which implies that then find but the polynomial transforms to a polynomial of degree six, rather than preserving the number of solutions...
 

nightweaver066

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
1,585
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
By using,
and letting , then rearranging to get:
x^3 - 6x - 5 = 0
(x + 1)(x^2 - x - 5) = 0

Not sure on which value i should take as the solution lol.
 
Last edited:

Nooblet94

Premium Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2011
Messages
1,044
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
By using,
and letting , then rearranging to get:
x^3 - 6x - 5 = 0
(x + 1)(x^2 - x - 5) = 0

Not sure on which value i should take as the solution lol.
Pretty sure it's the positive solution, since

EDIT: Yep, it is, just checked on wolframalpha
 
Last edited:

math man

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2009
Messages
503
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
this resembles an extension question from cambridge ch8 on sum and product of roots, so it is def not 2u
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top