13 is one of the worst numbers in the world!!

Algebra Level 1


The answer is 4.

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

1 solution

Chew-Seong Cheong
Jul 31, 2015

( 2 ) x + ( 3 ) x = ( 13 ) x 2 2 x 2 + 3 x 2 = 1 3 x 4 = ( 4 + 9 ) x 4 2 x 2 + 3 x 2 = ( 2 2 + 3 2 ) x 4 For x = 4 2 4 2 + 3 4 2 = ( 2 2 + 3 2 ) 4 4 2 2 + 3 2 = 2 2 + 3 2 \begin{aligned} \left(\sqrt{2}\right)^x + \left(\sqrt{3}\right)^x & = \left(\sqrt{13}\right)^{\frac{x}{2}} \\ 2^{\frac{x}{2}} + 3^{\frac{x}{2}} & = 13^{\frac{x}{4}} \\ & = \left(4+9\right)^{\frac{x}{4}} \\ \Rightarrow 2^{\frac{x}{2}} + 3^{\frac{x}{2}} & = \left(2^2+3^2 \right)^{\frac{x}{4}} \\ \text{For } x = 4 \quad \Rightarrow 2^{\frac{4}{2}} + 3^{\frac{4}{2}} & = \left(2^2+3^2 \right)^{\frac{4}{4}} \\ 2^2+3^2 & = 2^2+3^2 \end{aligned}

x = 4 \Rightarrow x = \boxed{4}

Moderator note:

How do you know that no other values of x x satisfy this equation?

Both the L H S LHS and R H S RHS are strictly increasing with x x . It can be shown that L H S < R H S LHS < RHS for x < 4 x<4 , L H S = R H S LHS = RHS for x = 4 x=4 and L H S > R H S LHS > RHS for x > 4 x>4 .

Chew-Seong Cheong - 5 years, 10 months ago

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...