Rapid Revision Sheet

Theory of Equation
By Pankaj Baluja

1. In the following, each statement is incomplete. Fill in the blank so that each resulting
statement is correct.
(a) The minimum value of x for which 2x 3  5x 2  x  2  0, is _____
1
(b) If f(x)  x  , x  R then the set of possible values of f(x)  _____
x
(c) If 1  i is a root of the equation ix 2  3x  p  0 where i  1 then the other root is
2. In the following, each question has one or more than one correct answers. Indicate the
correct answer(s):
(a) The equation cos 2x  7  a(2  sin x) can have a real solution for

(A) all real a (B) a  2

(C) a  6 (D) 2  a  6
2
(b) If ,  be roots of x  x  1  0 and A n    n then AM of A n 1 and A n is
n

1
(A) 2A n 1 (B) A n 1
2
(C) 2An  2 (D) None of these
(c) For all   R, the equation ax 2  (b  )x  (a  b  )  0, a  0 has real roots. Then

(A) a  b (B) b  a  0
(C) b  a  0 (D) a  b  0

3. If (x)  x  [x] where [x]  the greatest integer  x and f(x)  (x) [x] then find the set
A  {x | f(x)  1, x  R} .
x 2  3x  40
4. If f(x)  , x  7, x  2 then find the least and the greatest integral values of x
x 2  5x  14
for which f(x)  0.
5. Consider the polynomial function f(x)  (x  a1 )2  (x  a2 )2   (x  an )2 .

What can your conclude about the value of f(x) for x  R ? Hence prove that
(a1  a2   an )2  n(a12  a22   an2 ).

6. Prove that (a2  b2 )x 2  2b(a  c)x  (b2  c 2 )  0 for all x  R. If equality holds, find the ratio

of the roots of ax2  bx  c  0.

7. Let f(x)  x 4  3x 3  2x 2  3x  a. If f( 1)  0 and a  R then prove that f(x)  0 for
x  (1,2).
8. If the polynomials a1 x 3  b1 x 2  c1 x  d1 and a2 x 3  b2 x 2  c 2 x  d2 have x2  2x  1 as a
common factor then prove that a1  a2 , d1  d2 , c 2  c1 are in AP.

9. Find real values of a for which the inequations x2  4x  6a  0 and x2  2x  a  0 have only
one real solution common.

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 Rapid Revision Sheet
Theory of Equation
By Pankaj Baluja

10. If a,b,c are nonzero real numbers and a pair of equations from x 2  ax  bc  0,
x 2  bx  ca  0 and x 2  cx  ab  0 has a common root then prove that each pair of
equations will have a common root.
11. Find a  R such that the least value of 4x 2  4ax  a2  2a  2 on the interval 0  x  2 is
equal to 11.
12. Prove that the equation x3  2x2  x  4  0 has exactly one root in the open interval (3, 2) .
13. Find   R for which the equation
(x  1)4  (x  1)2  (x 2  2x  2)  (  1)  (x 2  2x  2)2  0
has at least one real root.
14. Let ,  be real roots of x 2  2px  pq  0,p  q  0. Show that both roots are positive and
2 n 1 4
q q q  
1 2  3    n    .
p p p  a 
15. The distance of three points A, B, C on a straight line from a fixed point on the line are roots
of the equation
ax3  3bx 2  3cx  d  0 .
Find the condition for one of the points A, B, C to be the middle point of the line segment
joining the other two.
16. Prove that the largest number of real roots of the equation
x 5  a1 x 4  a2 x 3  a3 x 2  a4 x  a5  0

whose coefficients are real, is three if 2a12  5a2  0.

Answers
1
1. (a)  (b) (, 2]  [2, ) (c) 1  4i 2. (a) D (b) B (c) A, B, C
2
 1 
3. A  n  n  N  {1}  4. 3, 4 respectively
 n 

6. w, w2 9. 0, 1

11. a  R  (1  10, 5  3 2) 13.   (,2)

15. a2d  2b3  3abc

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