Question
Solve the following polynomial equation for x : x^2 - 2( a+2)x + (a + 1)(a + 3).
Answers
Steve
Well, since the product of the roots is (a+1)(a+3) my first guess would be
(x-(a+3))(x-(a+1))
= x^2 - (a+1)x - (a+3)x + (a+1)(a+3)
= x^2 - (2a+4)x + (a+1)(a+3)
= x^2 - 2(a+2)x + (a+1)(a+3)
ta-daaa.
(x-(a+3))(x-(a+1))
= x^2 - (a+1)x - (a+3)x + (a+1)(a+3)
= x^2 - (2a+4)x + (a+1)(a+3)
= x^2 - 2(a+2)x + (a+1)(a+3)
ta-daaa.