How many solutions are there for the given equation?
Treat the square root as a real valued function.
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EDIT: this solution is not correct, see Nikola Alfredi's solution for correction!
( x − 1 ) ( x − 3 ) + ( x + 3 ) ( x − 3 ) = 2 ( 2 x − 1 ) ( x − 3 )
Notice that x − 3 is a common factor in each of these terms.
x − 3 [ x − 1 + x + 3 ] = x − 3 2 ( 2 x − 1 )
Factoring that out, we can eliminate it from both sides of the equation:
x − 1 + x + 3 = 2 ( 2 x − 1 )
Now, square both sides to get rid of the radicals:
( x − 1 ) + ( x + 3 ) = 2 ( 2 x − 1 )
Finally, simplify the above equation to solve for x:
2 x + 2 = 4 x − 2
4 = 2 x
2 = x
Therefore, there is only one solution to the equation: x = 2