Online Course Discussion Forum
II A 9.25
I'm not sure on how to start this problem, could you help?
The problem is
if a,b,c,d are four different numbers for wich
a^4 + a^2 + ka + 64 =0
b^4 + b^2 +kb + 64 = 0
c^4 + c^2 + kc + 64 = 0
d^4 + d^2 + kd +64 = 0
what is the value of a^2 + b^2 + c^2 + d^2?
Let me give a hint. Note it's suspicious that the equations we're given all look very similar. In fact that means that if we set $f(x) = x^4 + x^2 + k\cdot x + 64$, then actually $a$, $b$, $c$, and $d$ are all roots of $f(x)$.
This means that we can take advantage of Vieta's theorem for a degree four, meaning that using Vieta's we should have information about:
- $a+b+c+d$ (the sum of the roots)
- $ab+ac+ad+bc+bd+cd$ (the sum of pairs of roots)
- etc.
How do these expressions relate to $a^2+b^2+c^2+d^2$?
Hope this helps, let us know if you have any additional questions.
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