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$$\left| \left|(a^2) - 25\right|-b\right| + b = 0$$

You have to prove that $b<0$ and $b=0$ at the same time I have no problem to prove that $b$ can be $0$ the thing that I need help with is $b<0$. My thought there is a bit complicated and some people I've asked have said that's it's not valid but here it is. Oh and by the way sorry that I don't write pure mathematics I am a rookie just a 16 year old kid so my thoughts will more on like the in the form of words(I know that it's not 100% maths but these are my thoughts). Sorry if it sounds silly.So here it starts.

Let's break the whole thing down into 2 parts

1)$\left| \left|(a^2) - 25\right|-b\right|$

2)$+ b$

As it's well know in the subtraction of two numbers in order to be $0$ (considering that they belong to Real)numbers they should be opposite for ex. $4-4=0$ or $a-a=0$

That means that one of them should be negative and another positive AND THEY SHOULD BE REPRESENTED BY THE SAME SYMBOL BUT OTHER SIGN

Let's hypothesize that $b$ is actually smaller that $0(b<0)$. Each number consists from it's number sign(+,-) and an number sign and a symbol(1,2,3,4,5....)(Again I am talking about Real numbers). Let's call the symbol "$y$" because of it's randomness so b should be equal with (- "$y$")

The thing now changes from :

$\left|\left|(a^2) - 25\right|-b\right| + b$ to :

$\left|\left|(a^2) - 25\right|-(- y)\right| + (-y) $

since $b$ is negative it should be represented as ($- y$) because of it's negativity

So it proves out that :

$\left|\left|(a^2) - 25\right| + y\right| - y$

That guides us to think that the negative part on this is the second part actually because the second part ( $- y$) is negative the first one should be the positive one a fact that can be verified from the fact that $\left|\left|(a^2) - 25\right| + y\right|$ is a positive number since $|-4|=|4|=4$ or $|y|=|-y|=y$

Because the 1st part and the 2nd part are represented by the same symbol but not sign we supposed that

$\left|\left|(a^2) - 25\right| + b\right| = + y$ like the positive part

and

$+ b = - y$ the negative part

this means that

$b + b \Rightarrow + y - y = 0 \Rightarrow y=y$ something that is valid so

I hypothesized something and it turned out that my result is something valid this must mean that my hypothesis is correct

Siong Thye Goh
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George
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  • Sorry...what are the assumptions and what are you trying to prove? It is not true that no $b$ exists...indeed $(a,b)=(\pm 5,0)$ both work. – lulu May 06 '16 at 20:50
  • You should first tell us what you're tryng to do: to solve an equation? To prove an identity? What is $;a,b;$ ...This is too much reading to not know what is going on. – DonAntonio May 06 '16 at 20:51
  • Sorry for not being quite understood the question is for the real numbers a,b it's true that | |(a^2) - 25|-b| + b = 0 you have to prove that b<0 and equal at the same time I am analyzing the half of the question the thing that b<0 – George May 06 '16 at 20:54
  • "I hypothesized something and it turned out that my result is something valid this must mean that my hypothesis is correct" WHOA!!!! !!!!NOT!!!! TRUE!. Very, very, very, VERY not true!!! Hypothesis: I have a giant carnivorous dragon in my garage. Conclusion: If I had a giant carnivorous dragon in my garage then I it would eat all my rats. Observation: I have no rats in my garage. THEREFORE it must be true I have a giant carnivorous dragon in my garage. (Not valid. Doesn't follow. Is not true.) – fleablood May 06 '16 at 20:55
  • Could you try to make it clearer? What are $a,b$? Integers? Real numbers? Do you have a solution in which $b<0$? I'd like to see that. – lulu May 06 '16 at 20:56
  • "You have to prove that b<0 and b=0 at the same time" which is impossible. So you have to prove this equation can never be true. – fleablood May 06 '16 at 20:56
  • Well sorry again for the misunderstanding all this shit a re on one symbol but I dont know it cuz I don't know how to type it from my keyboard.What I want to say with b<0 and b=0 at the same time can be expressed with one symbol I will try to find it – George May 06 '16 at 21:00
  • @lulu as I foretold a,b are real numbers.Regarding the solution is that big shit I wrote it is maybe not correct as fleablood says but I need your opinions guys – George May 06 '16 at 21:03
  • @fleablood I found the symbol it's ≤ damn it xD – George May 06 '16 at 21:04
  • @George This is why it is advisable to read first the general, easy directions of this site to write mathematics in a readable, nice way. – DonAntonio May 06 '16 at 21:05
  • @Joanpemo well this problem was quite a pain for me for like 2 days I wanted to get it off me :P – George May 06 '16 at 21:06
  • Your reasoning isn't bad. In fact it's good but there are a few point. $\le$ means $b < 0$ OR $b = 0$. It doesn't mean both. – fleablood May 06 '16 at 21:08
  • Welcome to Math StackExchange. When you write mathematics please use the MathJax environment. You can find a basic tutorial on it here. Also while writing a question you can see a yellow box to the right of the page with indications on how to ask and how to format a question. It is very important that you know what is it exactly that you want to ask and state it precisely. – Anguepa May 06 '16 at 21:09
  • @fleablood thanks for the little ≤ thing that's one of the most stupid things I've ever said lol i think it was because I am clumsy as a person :P anyways thanks for the solution as well – George May 06 '16 at 21:12
  • This equation will be true whenever $a^2 - 15 = 0$ (which is when $a = \pm 5) and $b \le 0$. – fleablood May 06 '16 at 21:12
  • @Anguepa alright next time I decide I have to post something I'll make sure I do it correctly (clumsy me :P) Sorry for any misunderstanding guys – George May 06 '16 at 21:14

2 Answers2

2

$||a^2 - 25| - b| + b = 0 \implies$

$||a^2 - 25| - b| = -b$.

But $||a^2 - 25| - b| \ge 0$ because absolute values are non negative.

So $-b \ge 0$ so $b \le 0$ (i.e. $b$ is negative or 0.)

And that's it. We are done. We know if the equation is true $b \le 0$.

But we don't know if there is more restrictions we can have and we don't know if the equation itself is even possible.

====

I want to go further and see if there is anything more we can deduce.

Now $|a^2 - 25| \ge 0$ and $b \le 0$ so $|a^2 - 25| - b \ge 0$.

So $||a^2 - 25| - b| = |a^2 - 25| - b$.

So $-b = ||a^2 - 25| -b| = |a^2 - 25| -b$

So $|a^2 - 25| = 0$

So $a^2 = 25$ and $a = \pm 5$.

$b \le 0$ and can be any such value.

You can not prove it is BOTH $b < 0$ and $b = 0$. That would be a contradiction but $b < 0$ OR $b = 0$. This are individually both possible. and any possible value that is either less than or equal to 0 is acceptable.

fleablood
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  • can't we? if $b = -goo; goo > 0$ then $||a^2 - 25| - b| + b = |0 - b| + b = |goo| - goo = goo - goo = 0$. – fleablood May 06 '16 at 21:14
  • No... If $b<0$ then the left hand is clearly $|a^2-25|-b +b=0\implies a=\pm 5\implies 2b=0$. – lulu May 06 '16 at 21:17
  • Never mind, I'm just confused. You have it right. – lulu May 06 '16 at 21:20
  • Um... the equation wasn't $||a^2 - b| - b| +b = 0$. It was $||a^2 - 25| - b| + b = 0$. – fleablood May 06 '16 at 21:20
  • That was a typo. But in addition to the typo, I was just wrong. Been a long day. – lulu May 06 '16 at 21:22
  • If we had $||a^2 - b| - b| + b = 0$ we'd have $0 \ge b =-||a^2 - b|- b| = -|a^2 -b| +b$ so $ 0 = a^2 - b$ and $ b = a^2 \ge 0$ so $b \le 0$ and $b \ge 0$ so $b = 0 = a^2$. But that wasn't the equation. – fleablood May 06 '16 at 21:24
  • meh... we all have days like that. Sign errors. They were a pain in the second grade. They are a pain forty years later. – fleablood May 06 '16 at 21:28
  • Between sign errors and off-by-one errors it's a miracle that I ever get anything right. – lulu May 06 '16 at 21:29
0

If $b>0$, the number $$ \bigl|\,|a^2-25|-b\bigr|+b $$ is strictly positive. So if you want it to be $0$, you need $b\le0$.

Suppose $b\le0$ and $\bigl|\,|a^2-25|-b\bigr|=-b$. Then squaring gives $$ |a^2-25|^2-2b|a^2-25|+b^2=b^2 $$ so either $|a^2-25|=0$ or $|a^2-25|-2b=0$. In the latter case, $2b=|a^2-25|\ge0$, which forces $b=0$ and $|a^2-25|=0$.

Thus the equality holds for $a=\pm5$ and $b\le0$.

egreg
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