Asked by Devin
A math teacher wrote x^2+bx+c=0 on the board and asked students to find the two real roots. Alice miscopied one of the coefficients and found that 1 and 4 were the roots. Andy miscopied a different coefficient and found that -2 and 3 were the roots. Determine the roots to the equation the teacher wrote.
Answers
Answered by
MathMate
Alice's version:
b=-1-4=-5, c=1*4=4
Andy's version:
b=2-3=-1, c=-2*3=-6
SO the equation could be either:
x²-5x-6=0 ...(a)
or
x²-x+4=0 ...(b)
Equation (b) has no real roots, so
the equation must be (a), or
(x-6)(x+1)=0
giving x=6 or x=-1 as roots.
b=-1-4=-5, c=1*4=4
Andy's version:
b=2-3=-1, c=-2*3=-6
SO the equation could be either:
x²-5x-6=0 ...(a)
or
x²-x+4=0 ...(b)
Equation (b) has no real roots, so
the equation must be (a), or
(x-6)(x+1)=0
giving x=6 or x=-1 as roots.
There are no AI answers yet. The ability to request AI answers is coming soon!
Submit Your Answer
We prioritize human answers over AI answers.
If you are human, and you can answer this question, please submit your answer.