Quartic polynomials?

Algebra Level 3

For what value of λ \lambda will the following function have exactly three roots?

f ( x ) = ( x 3 ) ( x 4 ) λ f(x) = |(x-3)(x-4)|-\lambda


The answer is 0.25.

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1 solution

Jacopo Piccione
Aug 3, 2018

( x 3 ) ( x 4 ) = λ |(x-3)(x-4)|=\lambda

( x 3 ) ( x 4 ) = λ ( x 3 ) ( x 4 ) = λ (x-3)(x-4)=\lambda \; \vee \; (x-3)(x-4)=-\lambda

x 2 7 x + 12 λ = 0 x 2 7 x + 12 + λ = 0 x^2-7x+12-\lambda=0 \; \vee \; x^2-7x+12+\lambda=0

All solution are: x = 7 ± 1 ± 4 λ 2 x=\frac{7 \pm \sqrt{1\pm4\lambda}}{2}

Since we want to have a double root, one of the two radicands must be zero. We also have the condition λ 0 \lambda \geq 0 , therefore must be λ = 1 4 = 0.25 \lambda=\frac{1}{4}=\boxed{0.25}

The three solutions are { 7 2 2 , 7 2 , 7 + 2 2 } \{\frac{7-\sqrt{2}}{2},\;\frac{7}{2},\;\frac{7+\sqrt{2}} {2}\}

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