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$$ \sqrt[3] {A-15√3} + \sqrt[3] {A+15√3} = 4 $$

Find "A" ? The way of exponentiation took too much time, is there any easier method?

user574848
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3 Answers3

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Let $x,y$ be the numbers $(A\pm 15\sqrt 3)^{1/3}$ so that $x+y=4$. hen we have: $$ \begin{aligned} 2A &= x^3+y^3\\ &= (x+y)^3-3xy(x+y) \\ &= 4^3-3xy\cdot 4 \\ &=64 - 3(A^2-675)^{1/3}\cdot 4\ .\text{ So:} \\[3mm] 6^3(A^2-675) &=(32-A)^3\ . \end{aligned} $$ This gives us an equation in $A$, that we may solve (with bare hands or not).

sage: var('A');
sage: solve( (32 - A)^3 - 6^3*(A^2-675) == 0, A )
[A == -9*I*sqrt(19) - 73, A == 9*I*sqrt(19) - 73, A == 26]

OK, $26$ is a solution (obtained with bare hands or not), the only real solution.


LATER EDIT: It seems that there is a real interest in finding solutions with bare hands. Let us do this explicitly. The equation of degree three in $A$, $$ (A-32)^3+6^3(A^2-675) =0 $$ becomes after expanding: $$ A^{3} + 120 \, A^{2} + 3072 \, A - 178568 = 0\ . $$ To have smaller coefficients it is humanly useful to observe that $2|120$, $4|3072$, $8|178568$, so we may substitute $A=2B$, and get the equation in $B$: $$ h(B):= B^3 + 60B^2 + 768B - 22321 = 0\ . $$ If this equation has rational solutions (as psychologically expected in human problems), then any rational solution is of the form $\pm p/q$, where $p$ divides the free coefficient $-22321=13 \cdot 17 \cdot 101$, and $q$ divides the principal coefficient (of $B^3$), which is one. So we compute $h(0)<0$, expect a positive solution, and try the values $1, 13, 17, 13\cdot 17, 101, 13\cdot 101,\dots$ and note immediately that $h(100) >0$, so only $1,13,17$ may have a chance. The $1$ is not. The we try humanly $1$ with the Horner scheme, $$ \begin{array}{r|rrrr} &1 & 60 & 678 & -22321\\\hline 13 & 1 & 73 & 1717 & \boxed{0} \end{array} $$ where the numbers in the second row are $1$, copied from above, $73=13\cdot 1+60$, $1717=13\cdot 73+678$, and finally $\boxed{0}=13\cdot 1717-22321$.

So one solution is $B=13$ and we have the factorization $$ h(B):= B^3 + 60B^2 + 768B - 22321 =(B-13)(B^2+73B+1717)\ , $$ and the other two solutions are roots of $h(B)=0$ are the ones of $(B^2+73B+1717)=0$, explicitly $(-73\pm 9i\sqrt{19})/2$. To get the $A$ values, we multiply with two.


So far we have only one direction. For the other direction, we check that the obtained values lead to third roots that we can explicitly express.

$$ \begin{aligned} (26\pm 15\sqrt 3)^{1/3} &= 2\pm \sqrt 3\ , \\ (-73+9\sqrt{-19}\pm 15\sqrt 3)^{1/3} &= 2 \mp \frac{\sqrt 3}2(1+\sqrt{-19})\ , \\ (-73-9\sqrt{-19}\pm 15\sqrt 3)^{1/3} &= 2 \mp \frac{\sqrt 3}2(1-\sqrt{-19})\ . \end{aligned} $$ But in the case of using complex numbers, the third root is not "defined in the common sense", and the "two other choices" would break the equality.

dan_fulea
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  • My line is $$8(A^2-675)=(32-A)^3$$ – Dr. Sonnhard Graubner Aug 11 '19 at 17:21
  • OK, let us look for the other direction, so far we have only the fact that in case $A$ satisfies the given equation and it is real, then $A=26$. Now let us extract the third root explicitly. This third root is $2\pm \sqrt 3$. To see this with an easy typing, (they count my letters,) let $a$ be $\pm\sqrt 3$. Then: $$(2+a)^3=8+12a+6a^2+a^3=(8+18)+(12+3)a=26+15a\ .$$ – dan_fulea Aug 11 '19 at 18:06
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Let $x=A-15\sqrt 3$ and $y=A+15\sqrt 3,$ then the equation becomes $$x^{1/3}+y^{1/3}=4.$$ Taking cubes of both sides gives $$x+y+3(xy)^{1/3}(x^{1/3}+y^{1/3})=4^3.$$ Now since $x+y=2A,$ and $x^{1/3}+y^{1/3}=4,$ the equation becomes $$2A+3(xy)^{1/3}(4)=4^3,$$ which gives $$6(xy)^{1/3}=32-A.$$ Now, cubing and substituting for $xy=A^2-15^2\cdot 3$ gives $$6^3(A^2-15^2\cdot 3)=(32-A)^3.$$ This is a cubic in $A,$ which in general is not so easy to deal with.

Allawonder
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  • As a question of my exam, how could I solve this in final step using no calculator? I'll be thankful if you help:) – Boshra Alef Aug 11 '19 at 17:52
  • @BoshraAlef I don't know the level of the exam, but since it's an exam question it seems they wanted you to do something along the lines of what rsadhvila below did. Check his answer. – Allawonder Aug 11 '19 at 17:54
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If there exists a cubic polynomial of integer coefficients with roots: $$0,\sqrt[3] {A-15√3} , \sqrt[3] {A+15√3} $$ then it will be of the form $x^3-4x^2 + \sqrt[3]{A^2-675}x$

You just need to find $A$ such that $A^2-675$ is a perfect cube.
Trivially $A^2 = 676$ will do.

AgentS
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  • Thank you so much.I have a question: the form you wrote, where did it come from? – Boshra Alef Aug 11 '19 at 17:55
  • Since $x=0$ is a root, the constant term in the polynomial would be $0$. Constant term has to be $0$, other wise we cannot factor out $x$.
  • – AgentS Aug 11 '19 at 17:57
  • Here sum of the roots is $4$, so the coefficient of $x^2$ would be $-4$
  • – AgentS Aug 11 '19 at 17:59
  • Coefficient of $x$ can be obtained from the expression $$0\times \sqrt[3] {A-15√3} + \sqrt[3] {A-15√3}\times \sqrt[3] {A+15√3} + \sqrt[3] {A+15√3}\times 0$$
  • – AgentS Aug 11 '19 at 18:00