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MAT Reasoning about Solutions Practice

1. By factorising or otherwise, determine how many real solutions each of these equations have for 𝑥,
and what those solutions are. 𝑐 is a constant.
The number of solutions may depend on the constant. In such cases, detail how the number of
solutions varies as the constant varies.
a. 4𝑥 3 + 6𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 3 = 0
b. 𝑥 6 − 𝑥 4 = 0
c. 4𝑥 3 + 4𝑥 2 − 9𝑥 − 9 = 0
d. 4 sin2 𝑥 + 4𝑐 sin 𝑥 + 𝑐 2 = 0
e. 𝑥 4 + 5𝑥 2 − 6 = 0
f. 16 log 4 𝑥 − 8𝑐 log 2 𝑥 + 𝑐 2 = 0 (the log here is base 10)
g. 8𝑥 3 + 36 tan(𝑐) 𝑥 2 + 54 tan2 (𝑐) 𝑥 + 27 tan3 𝑐 = 0
2. By using the discriminant, determine the range of values of 𝑐 for which the equation has one or more
real solutions.
a. 𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0
b. 2𝑥 3 − 𝑐𝑥 2 + 𝑥 = 0, 𝑥 ≠ 0
c. 𝑥 2 − 2√2 sin(𝑐) 𝑥 = −1, 0 ≤ 𝑐 ≤ 2𝜋
4 2
d. (𝑥 + 2𝑐) = (𝑥 + 𝑐)
3. What is the minimum and maximum number of roots these graphs have?
a. 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0
b. 𝑎𝑥 3 + 𝑏𝑥 2 + 𝑐𝑥 + 𝑑 = 0
c. 𝑎𝑥 4 + 𝑏𝑥 3 + 𝑐𝑥 2 + 𝑑𝑥 + 𝑒 = 0
d. 𝑎𝑥 5 + 𝑏𝑥 4 + 𝑐𝑥 3 + 𝑑𝑥 2 + 𝑒𝑥 + 𝑓 = 0
4. By thinking about the shape of these graphs and considering their turning points, determine the range
of 𝑘 for which the graph has the specified number of solutions.
a. 𝑥 3 − 𝑥 + 𝑘 = 0
i. 1 solution
ii. 2 distinct solutions
iii. 3 distinct solutions
b. Given that 𝑥(𝑥 − 1)(𝑥 − 2)(𝑥 − 3) = 𝑥 4 − 6𝑥 3 + 11𝑥 2 − 6𝑥, then for 𝑦 = 𝑥 4 − 6𝑥 3 +
11𝑥 2 − 6𝑥 + 𝑘 = 0:
i. 0 solutions
ii. 1 solution
iii. 2 distinct solutions
iv. 3 distinct solutions
v. 4 solutions
5. The following questions involve solving equations with exponentials:
a. Solve 25𝑥 + 5𝑥 = 2
1
b. Solve 8𝑥+3 − 3 ∙ 4𝑥 = 8 ∙ 2𝑥 − 12
6. How many solutions does 𝑥 2 + |𝑥 − 1| = 0 have?
7. [MAT 2010] Given a positive integer 𝑛 and a real number 𝑘, consider the following equation in 𝑥,
(𝑥 − 1)(𝑥 − 2)(𝑥 − 3) × … × (𝑥 − 𝑛) = 𝑘
Which of the following statements about the equation is true?

(a) If 𝑛 = 3 then the equation has no real solution 𝑥 for some values of 𝑘.
(b) If 𝑛 is even, then the equation has a real solution 𝑥 for any given value of 𝑘.
(c) If 𝑘 ≥ 0 then the equation has (at least) one real solution 𝑥.
(d) The equation never has a repeated solution 𝑥 for any given values of 𝑘 and 𝑛.

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 ANSWERS

1. –
a. Just the one. Factorising:
2𝑥 2 (2𝑥 + 3) + 1(2𝑥 + 3) = 0
(2𝑥 2 + 1)(2𝑥 + 3) = 0
3
So 2𝑥 2 + 1 = 0, which has no solutions, or 2𝑥 + 3 = 0, which gives 𝑥 = − 2.

b. It has 6 roots, but 4 of them are repeated.

𝑥 4 (𝑥 2 − 1) = 𝑥 4 (𝑥 + 1)(𝑥 − 1) = 0
This gives us 𝑥 = 0, 𝑥 = −1, 𝑥 = 1.
The worst thing you could possibly do is write 𝑥 6 = 𝑥 4 and then divide both sides by
𝑥 4 . Doing so loses you the 𝑥 = 0 solution.

c. 3 distinct solutions.
4𝑥 2 (𝑥 + 1) − 9(𝑥 + 1) = 0
(4𝑥 2 − 9)(𝑥 + 1) = 0
(2𝑥 + 3)(2𝑥 − 3)(𝑥 + 1) = 0
3 3
So solutions are 𝑥 = − 2, 𝑥 = 2 and 𝑥 = −1.

𝑐
d. Factorising, we get (2 sin 𝑥 + 𝑐)2 = 0, so sin 𝑥 = − 2.
If 𝑐 = ±2, then there will be one solution for 𝑥 in each 2𝜋 interval.
If 𝑐 > 2 or 𝑐 < −2, there will be no solutions for 𝑥.
If −2 < 𝑐 < 2, then there will be two solutions for 𝑥 in each 2𝜋 interval.

e. Factorising:
(𝑥 2 + 6)(𝑥 2 − 1) = 0
(𝑥 2 + 6)(𝑥 + 1)(𝑥 − 1) = 0
The first factor doesn’t give any solutions since 𝑥 2 + 6 = 0 has no real solutions, but
𝑥 = 1 and 𝑥 = −1.

f. Like part (d), spotting again that this is a squared expression:

(4 log 2 𝑥 − 𝑐)2 = 0
𝑐 √𝑐
So log 2 𝑥 = 4 and log 𝑥 = ± 2
.
√𝑐
Then 𝑥 = 10± 2 .
The equation thus has 2 solutions provided 𝑐 ≥ 0, and no solutions otherwise.

g. The key here is spotting that it’s a binomial expansion:

(2𝑥 + 3 tan c)3 = 0
3
𝑥 = − tan 𝑐
2
We have an inflection point (i.e. triple-repeated root) when
3
𝑥 = − 2 tan 𝑐.

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 2. –
a. 𝑐 ≤ 1
b. 𝑐 ≤ −2√2 or 𝑐 ≥ 2√2 (you first need to factorise out the 𝑥).
1
c. 8 sin2 𝑐 − 4 ≥ 0 so sin2 𝑐 ≥ 2
1 1 𝜋
Thus sin 𝑐 ≤ − or sin 𝑐 ≥ . Then by consider the graph of 𝑠𝑖𝑛, we get: 4 ≤ 𝑐 ≤
√2 √2
3𝜋 5𝜋 7𝜋
or ≤𝑐≤ .
4 4 4

d. (𝑥 + 2𝑐)4 − (𝑥 + 𝑐)2 = 0
((𝑥 + 2𝑐)2 + (𝑥 + 𝑐))((𝑥 + 2𝑐)2 − (𝑥 + 𝑐)) = 0
(𝑥 2 + (4𝑐 + 1)𝑥 + (4𝑐 2 + 𝑐))(𝑥 2 + (4𝑐 − 1)𝑥 + (4𝑐 2 − 𝑐)) = 0
So 𝑥 2 + (4𝑐 + 1)𝑥 + (4𝑐 2 + 𝑐) = 0 or 𝑥 2 + (4𝑐 − 1)𝑥 + (4𝑐 2 − 𝑐) = 0
1 1
Using the discriminant on the first gives us 𝑐 ≥ − 4 and on the second 𝑐 ≤ 4.
1 1
Combining we get − ≤ 𝑐 ≤ .
4 4
3. Note that for all the polynomials where the highest power is even, there can be a global
minimum or maximum, and thus the graph need not cross the x-axis. However for the odd
polynomials, the value of the polynomial varies from −∞ to +∞ and thus must cross the x-
axis at some point.
a. Min: 0, Max: 2
b. Min: 1, Max: 3
c. Min: 0, Max: 4
d. Min: 1, Max: 5
4. –
1 2 1 2
a. Differentiating we get the turning points (− , + 𝑘) and (+ ,−3 3+ 𝑘).
√3 3√3 √3 √
i. If there’s one solution, the x-axis either cuts the line above the local
2 2
maximum or below the local minimum.So + 𝑘 < 0 or − + 𝑘 > 0.
3√3 3√3
2 2
This gives us 𝑘 < − 3 𝑜𝑟 𝑘 > 3
√3 √3
ii. We get two distinct solutions when the x-axis touches the local maximum
and crosses the line later, or equivalently with the minimum. This gives us
2
𝑘 = ±3
√3
iii. This occurs when the x-axis is inside the horizontal strip between the
2 2
maximum and minimum. We get − <𝑘< .
3√3 3√3
3
b. The y-values of the two minima is −1. The y-value of the maximum is 2. Then by
using the shape of the quartic:
i. No solutions when 𝑘 > 1, because the minima will be above the y-axis.
ii. It’s not possible to have exactly 1 solution.
iii. 2 distinct solutions when 𝑘 = 1 (the two minima will be touching the y-axis)
3
iv. 3 distinct solutions when 𝑘 = − 2 (when the x-axis crosses the quartic twice
and touches the maximum)
3
v. 4 solutions when − 2 < 𝑘 < 1 (i.e. the x-axis is between the maximum and
minima)

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 5. Use a similar approach to that within the C2 A Level module:
a. (5𝑥 )2 + 5𝑥 − 2 = 0
(5𝑥 + 2)(5𝑥 − 1) = 0
5𝑥 = −2 or 5𝑥 = 1
The first is not possible because an exponential function always gives a positive
value. So 𝑥 = 0 is the only solution.
1
b. 8𝑥+3 − 3 ∙ 4𝑥 − 8 ∙ 2𝑥 + 12 = 0
2 ∙ (2𝑥 )3 − 3 ∙ (2𝑥 )2 − 8 ∙ 2𝑥 + 12 = 0
Let 𝑦 = 2𝑥 for convenience:
2𝑦 3 − 3𝑦 2 − 8𝑦 + 12 = 0
𝑦 2 (2𝑦 − 3) − 4(2𝑦 − 3) = 0
(𝑦 2 − 4)(2𝑦 − 3) = 0
(𝑦 + 2)(𝑦 − 2)(2𝑦 − 3) = 0
3
So 2𝑥 = −2, 2𝑥 = 2 or 2𝑥 =
2
3
The first is not possible, the second gives us 𝑥 = 1 and the third is x = log 2 (2) =
log 2 (3) − 1.
6. When 𝑥 ≥ 1 there’s clearly no solutions. If 𝑥 < 1, then the modulus function changes 𝑥 − 1
from a negative to a positive value, so use 𝑥 2 − 𝑥 + 1 = 0. The discriminant is negative, so
there are no solutions.
7. If 𝑛 = 3 then we have a cubic. We know that cubics always have a solution, so it can’t be (a).
If 𝑛 is even, then the highest power of our polynomial is even, and we will always have a
minimum (given the coefficient of the highest-order term is positive). We know from Q3 that
there may be no solutions, and since we can use 𝑘 to shift the graph up and down, there will
always be some 𝑘 for which the x-axis never cuts the graph.
This leaves (c) and (d) so far.
For (c), we know we will always have a solution when 𝑛 is odd. If 𝑛 is even, then if 𝑘 = 0 for
example, we have a graph which approaches +∞ as 𝑥 → ±∞, and definitely crosses the x-
axis as it has roots 𝑥 = 1, 2, 3, … , 𝑛. If 𝑘 increases, this shifts the graph down. We can see
that however much we increase 𝑘and shift the graph down, it will always still cross the x-
axis. So the answer is (c).
For (d), it’s not too difficult to find a counter-example. When 𝑛 = 2 (the simplest case where
might have a repeated root), then 𝑥 2 − 3𝑘 + 2 − 𝑘 = 0. Using the discriminant 𝑏 2 = 4𝑎𝑐 to
1 3
get a repeated root, we find that 𝑘 = − 4, and the resulting 𝑥 would be 2.

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