AlgebraDifficulty 5.2AIME, harderFind the answerUnited States
The roots of x3+2x2−x+3 are p, q, and r. What is the value of (p2+4)(q2+4)(r2+4)?
Pick one
Solution
By Vieta's Formulas, p+q+rpq+pr+qrpqr=−2,=−1, and=−3. The expression to be evaluated is (p2+4)(q2+4)(r2+4)=p2q2r2+4(p2q2+p2r2+q2r2)+16(p2+q2+r2)+64. The first term is p2q2r2=(pqr)2=(−3)2=9. To find the second term, note that (pq+pr+qr)2=p2q2+p2r2+q2r2+2pqr(p+q+r). Rearranging and substituting yields p2q2+p2r2+q2r2=(−1)2−2(−3)(−2)=−11. For the third term, (p+q+r)2=p2+q2+r2+2(pq+pr+qr), so p2+q2+r2=(−2)2−2(−1)=6. Therefore (p2+4)(q2+4)(r2+4)=9+4⋅(−11)+16⋅6+64=125.
With i=−1, the given expression can be factored as (p2+4)(q2+4)(r2+4)=(p−2i)(p+2i)(q−2i)(q+2i)(r−2i)(r+2i)=[(p−2i)(q−2i)(r−2i)]⋅[(p+2i)(q+2i)(r+2i)]. Let f(x) be the given polynomial. Then f(x)=−(p−x)(q−x)(r−x) and −f(2i)=(p−2i)(q−2i)(r−2i), which is the first bracketed expression above. Furthermore f(−x)=(−x−p)(−x−q)(−x−r)=−(p+x)(q+x)(r+x). Therefore −f(−x)=(p+x)(q+x)(r+x). It follows that −f(−2i)=(p+2i)(q+2i)(r+2i), the second bracketed expression above. Hence (p2+4)(q2+4)(r2+4)=−f(2i)⋅(−f(−2i))=f(2i)⋅f(−2i). Because f(2i)=(2i)3+2(2i)2−(2i)+3=−8i−8−2i+3=−10i−5 and f(−2i)=(−2i)3+2(−2i)2−(−2i)+3=8i−8+2i+3=10i−5, the requested product is f(2i)⋅f(−2i)=(−10i−5)(10i−5)=125.
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