How can I solve this system of non-linear equations? { <mtable columnalign="left cen

Jase Howe

Jase Howe

Answered question

2022-06-13

How can I solve this system of non-linear equations?
{ a + c = 0 b + a c + d = 6 b c + a d = 5 b d = 6
The book I'm working from provides the answer a = 1 , b = 1 , c = 1 , d = 6, but I'm having a hard time getting there.
This is in order to reduce q ( x ) = x 4 + 6 x 2 5 x + 6 to a pair of irreducible quadratics ( x 2 + a x + b ) ( x 2 + c x + d ). We expand, gather like terms, and equate the coefficients of the resulting expression with those of the original, yielding the above system of equations.
With some substitutions, I managed to get
b 6 6 b 5 6 b 4 + 47 b 3 36 b 2 216 b + 216 = 0
which I reduced to
( b 6 ) ( b 1 ) ( b 4 + b 3 5 b 2 + 6 b + 36 ) = 0
Since the remaining factor ( b 4 + b 3 5 b 2 + 6 b + 36 ) has no real zeros, it also reduces to a pair of irreducible quadratics.

Answer & Explanation

ejigaboo8y

ejigaboo8y

Beginner2022-06-14Added 29 answers

You were so close! You noted that the quartic factor has no real zeros, so you can conclude that b = 1 or b = 6, whence d = 6 or d = 1 (respectively) by the last equation of your system. Since c = a by the first equation of your system, then the third equation of your system becomes a ( d b ) = 5, which gives you a, and thus c = a.
Both ( a , b , c , d ) = ( 1 , 1 , 1 , 6 ) and ( a , b , c , d ) = ( 1 , 6 , 1 , 1 ) work as solutions.
Lydia Carey

Lydia Carey

Beginner2022-06-15Added 9 answers

Do you know Gauss's lemma? A polynomial with integer coefficients will factorise over the rational numbers if and only if it will factorise over the integers. That is, your values for a , b , c , d must be integers.
( b d = 6, so for an easier solution you can just guess b = ± 1 , ± 2 , ± 3 , ± 6 and see what works. Of course, by symmetry, if b = 1 then d = 6 and so on, so you only really need to try half of them.)

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