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In the simple case of a function of one variable, say, h(x), we can solve an equation of the form h(x) = c for some constant c by considering what is known as the inverse function of h. Given a function h : A → B, the inverse function, denoted h −1 and defined as h −1 : B → A, is a function such that
An example of a more complicated (although small enough to be written here) solution is the unique real root of x 5 − 5x + 12 = 0. Let a = √ 2φ −1, b = √ 2φ, and c = 4 √ 5, where φ = 1+ √ 5 / 2 is the golden ratio. Then the only real solution x = −1.84208... is given by
For example, the logarithm of 1000 to base 10 is 3, because 1000 is 10 to the 3 rd power: 1000 = 10 3 = 10 × 10 × 10. More generally, if x = b y, then y is the logarithm of x to base b, written log b x, so log 10 1000 = 3. As a single-variable function, the logarithm to base b is the inverse of exponentiation with base b.
Then we can substitute again, letting x = b and y = c, to show that if bc = 0 then b = 0 or c = 0. Therefore, if abc = 0, then a = 0 or (b = 0 or c = 0), so abc = 0 implies a = 0 or b = 0 or c = 0. If the original fact were stated as "ab = 0 implies a = 0 or b = 0", then when saying "consider abc = 0," we would have a conflict of terms when ...
In 1535, Niccolò Tartaglia (1500–1557) received two problems in cubic equations from Zuanne da Coi and announced that he could solve them. He was soon challenged by Fior, which led to a famous contest between the two. Each contestant had to put up a certain amount of money and to propose a number of problems for his rival to solve.
Pólya mentions that there are many reasonable ways to solve problems. [3] The skill at choosing an appropriate strategy is best learned by solving many problems. You will find choosing a strategy increasingly easy. A partial list of strategies is included: Guess and check [9] Make an orderly list [10] Eliminate possibilities [11] Use symmetry [12]
They are the solutions of a system of 4 equations of degree 5 in 3 variables. Such an overdetermined system has no solution in general (that is if the coefficients are not specific). If it has a finite number of solutions, this number is at most 5 3 = 125, by Bézout's theorem. However, it has been shown that, for the case of the singular ...
[5] However, the existence of specific equations that cannot be solved in radicals seems to be a consequence of Abel's proof, as the proof uses the fact that some polynomials in the coefficients are not the zero polynomial, and, given a finite number of polynomials, there are values of the variables at which none of the polynomials takes the ...