Quandaries
and Queries
Who is asking: Student
Level: Secondary
Question:
|ax+b| = cx + d
how to show sometimes the above has 2 roots, sometimes 1 root and sometimes no roots. Hopelessly lost on how to start...
so far I have
1. ax+b = cx+d
2. -ax-b = cx+d
using 1.
x = (d-b)/(a-c)
using 2.
x= -(d+b)/(a-c)
please help
Hi Angel,
I think your teacher is looking for values of a, b, c and that will give 1 root, 2 roots or no roots.
For example if a = 1, d = 1 and b = c = 0 then the equation becomes
|x| = 1
In this situation x can be 1 or -1 and thus this is a situation with 2 roots.
Can you find choices for a, b, c and that will give no roots? 1 root?
Penny