Chapter 1: Problem 55
Find the solutions of the equation. $$x^{3}+3 x^{2}+4 x=0$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The solutions are \(x = 0\), \(x = \frac{-3 + i\sqrt{7}}{2}\), and \(x = \frac{-3 - i\sqrt{7}}{2}\).
Step by step solution
01
Factor the equation
The given equation is \(x^3 + 3x^2 + 4x = 0\). Notice that each term has an \(x\) in common. Factor out \(x\) from the entire equation:\[x(x^2 + 3x + 4) = 0\]This gives us one solution directly: \(x = 0\). The other solutions will come from solving the quadratic equation \(x^2 + 3x + 4 = 0\).
02
Solve the quadratic equation
Now, solve the quadratic equation \(x^2 + 3x + 4 = 0\) using the quadratic formula:\[x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}\]For the equation \(x^2 + 3x + 4 = 0\), \(a = 1\), \(b = 3\), and \(c = 4\). Substitute these values into the formula:\[x = \frac{-3 \pm \sqrt{3^2 - 4 \cdot 1 \cdot 4}}{2 \cdot 1}\]Simplify the expression inside the square root: \(3^2 - 4 \cdot 1 \cdot 4 = 9 - 16 = -7\).Thus, the solutions are:\[x = \frac{-3 \pm \sqrt{-7}}{2}\]Since the discriminant is negative, the roots are complex: \[x = \frac{-3 \pm i\sqrt{7}}{2}\]
03
List all the solutions
We have found three solutions for the original cubic equation. The solutions are:1. \(x = 0\) (from factoring the original equation)2. \(x = \frac{-3 + i\sqrt{7}}{2}\) (complex root from solving the quadratic)3. \(x = \frac{-3 - i\sqrt{7}}{2}\) (complex root from solving the quadratic)
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Factoring Polynomials
Factoring polynomials is a method used to simplify polynomial expressions by finding factors that are common to all terms. In the polynomial equation \(x^3 + 3x^2 + 4x = 0\), notice that each term shares an \(x\). By factoring out the \(x\), the equation reduces to \(x(x^2 + 3x + 4) = 0\).
- Factoring allows us to break the polynomial into simpler parts, making it easier to find solutions.
- Once we factor out the common term, we can solve for \(x\) by setting each factor equal to zero.
Quadratic Formula
The quadratic formula is a powerful tool used to find solutions to quadratic equations of the form \(ax^2 + bx + c = 0\). For the quadratic \(x^2 + 3x + 4 = 0\), we apply the quadratic formula:
\[x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}\]
For our quadratic, \(a = 1\), \(b = 3\), and \(c = 4\), which we plug into the formula:
\[x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}\]
For our quadratic, \(a = 1\), \(b = 3\), and \(c = 4\), which we plug into the formula:
- \(b^2 - 4ac\) is the discriminant. In this case, it is \(3^2 - 4 \cdot 1 \cdot 4 = 9 - 16 = -7\).
- A negative discriminant results in complex roots, meaning the solutions are not real numbers.
Complex Numbers
Complex numbers are numbers that have both a real and an imaginary component, expressed in the form \(a + bi\), where \(i\) is the square root of \(-1\).
- In our solutions such as \(x = \frac{-3 \pm i\sqrt{7}}{2}\), the \(i\sqrt{7}\) represents the imaginary part.
- These come into play when dealing with negative discriminants in the quadratic formula, as we saw in \(x^2 + 3x + 4 = 0\).
Solutions of Equations
Finding solutions to equations means determining the values of variables that make the equation true. In the case of\(x^3 + 3x^2 + 4x = 0\), solutions encompass both real and complex roots.
- The factored \(x\) gives a clear real solution: \(x = 0\).
- The complex solutions \(x = \frac{-3 + i\sqrt{7}}{2}\) and \(x = \frac{-3 - i\sqrt{7}}{2}\) arise from the quadratic formula result of \(x^2 + 3x + 4 = 0\).