A Problem on Polynomials

Let $x_1,x_2, x_3$ be the roots of the equation $x^3+3x+5 = 0$. What is the value of the expression $\displaystyle\Big(x_1+\frac{1}{x_1}\Big)$$\displaystyle\Big(x_2+\frac{1}{x_2}\Big)$$\displaystyle\Big(x_3+\frac{1}{x_3}\Big)$?

One way in which we can do this is to break up the whole of $\displaystyle\Big(x_1+\frac{1}{x_1}\Big)$ $\displaystyle\Big(x_2+\frac{1}{x_2}\Big)$ $\displaystyle\Big(x_3+\frac{1}{x_3}\Big)$ and then just use the values we obtain from $x^3+3x+5 = 0$ by Vieta's formula. But, this is too long and it may get wrong somewhere. Does someone have a better method of doing this, maybe by transforming the equation??

Easy Math Editor

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

When posting on Brilliant:

Use the emojis to react to an explanation, whether you're congratulating a job well done , or just really confused .
Ask specific questions about the challenge or the steps in somebody's explanation. Well-posed questions can add a lot to the discussion, but posting "I don't understand!" doesn't help anyone.
Try to contribute something new to the discussion, whether it is an extension, generalization or other idea related to the challenge.
Stay on topic — we're all here to learn more about math and science, not to hear about your favorite get-rich-quick scheme or current world events.

Markdown	Appears as
`italics` or `_italics_`	italics
`bold` or `__bold__`	bold
- bulleted - list	bulleted list
1. numbered 2. list	numbered list
Note: you must add a full line of space before and after lists for them to show up correctly
paragraph 1 paragraph 2	paragraph 1 paragraph 2
`[example link](https://brilliant.org)`	example link
`> This is a quote`	This is a quote
# I indented these lines # 4 spaces, and now they show # up as a code block. print "hello world"	# I indented these lines # 4 spaces, and now they show # up as a code block. print "hello world"

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `$` ... `$` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$

Comments

The expression in question can be written as $\dfrac{(x_1 ^2 + 1)(x_ 2 ^2 + 1)(x_ 3^2 + 1) }{x_1 x_2 x_3} = \dfrac{(x_1 ^2 + 1)(x_ 2 ^2 + 1)(x_ 3^2 + 1) }{-5}$ .

Hint: Let $f(x) = x^3 + 3x + 5$ . What are the roots of $f\left( \sqrt x \right) = 0$ ?

Hint 2: If $g(y)= 0$ is a polynomial with roots $y_1, y_2, y_3$ , then what roots does $g(y - 1) = 0$ has?

Pi Han Goh - 3 years, 10 months ago

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `\(` ... `\)` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$