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$$\sqrt{ 3x }= x + \sqrt {3}$$

this is what i tried

$$\sqrt{ x }= (x + \sqrt {3})^2\\ = x^2 + 3 $$

Give x in the form $$A \sqrt {B} + C $$ Can you show me how this is done step by step.

The answer I have in the book is:

$$\frac {1}{2} \sqrt{3} + \frac {3}{2} $$

1 Answers1

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First of all $(\sqrt {3x})^2 = 3x$.

And furthermore, $$(x + \sqrt 3)^2\neq x^2 + 3$$ Recall, when squaring a binomial: $$(a + b)^2 = a^2 + 2ab + b^2$$

Starting from the beginning: we need for $3x \geq 0 \iff x \geq 0$ for the left hand side of the following equation to be defined in the reals:

$$\sqrt{3x} = x + \sqrt 3$$

Squaring both sides gives us $$\begin{align} 3x = (x +\sqrt 3)^2 & \iff 3x = x^2 + 2\sqrt 3 x + 3\\ \\ &\iff x^2 + (2\sqrt 3 - 3)x + 3 = 0\end{align}$$

You can use the quadratic equation to check for solutions, throwing out any solution for which $x \lt 0$. Recall, for any quadratic equation of the form $$ax^2 + bx + c = 0$$ we can find its roots $$x_i = \dfrac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}$$ In your equation, $$a = 1,\\\;b = 2\sqrt 3 - 3,\;\\ b^2 = (2\sqrt 3)^2 - 2(3\cdot 2\sqrt 3) + (-3)^2 = 12 - 12\sqrt 3 + 9 = 21 - 12\sqrt 3,\\ c = 3$$

amWhy
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  • Thanks, @DonAntonio. I wouldn't have caught that without the aid of your "eyes"! – amWhy Mar 07 '14 at 14:21
  • My "dreaming" eyes, @amWhy ...:) ? +1 – DonAntonio Mar 07 '14 at 14:23
  • my maths is really weak can you explain it in simple terms please – user133745 Mar 07 '14 at 14:46
  • I've given you the equation to solve; I've given you the quadratic equation. I've even given you explicitly what values to use for $a, b, c$. There's no simpler way to put it other than "plug the values a, b, c into the quadratic equation to find its roots, and omit any roots $x \lt 0$. $x_i$ stands for a root of the quadratic equation. $$x_i = \dfrac{-(2\sqrt 3 - 3) \pm \sqrt{(21 - 12\sqrt 3) - 4\cdot 1\cdot 3}}{2\cdot 1} $$ Work on simplifying this. – amWhy Mar 07 '14 at 14:51
  • After squaring both sides should it be $$ x^2 + 2x \sqrt{3} + 3 $$ – user133745 Mar 07 '14 at 15:03
  • Yes, I just put the $2\cdot\sqrt 3$ before the $x$ term – amWhy Mar 07 '14 at 15:12
  • @Sami (Sorry, I didn't catch your message until now!) Just feeling slightly "burned out" at MSE. It will likely pass ;-) – amWhy Mar 08 '14 at 21:15