Question

Please Help Fan Medal!
Solve for the roots in the following equation. Hint: Factor both quadratic expressions.
(x^4 + 5x^2 - 36)(2x^2 + 9x - 5) = 0

Answer 1

@Lyrae

Answer 2

What progress have you made in following the excellent hint?

Answer 3

my answer is -5, -2, 0.5, 2, i3

Answer 4

Well, that can't possibly be correct, since you are either missing one or there is a complex solution short.

Now that we've cleared that up... please show your work. How did you get to that conclusion?

Answer 5

wolframalpha.com

Answer 6

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(x%5e4+%2b+5x%5e2+-36)*(2x%5e2+%2b+9x+-+5)+%3d+0&incTime=true

Answer 7

Okay, that's lovely. This suggests the dangers of just typign things in, rather than understanding what it is you are doing.

1) There MUST be SIX (6) roots, since there is no multiplicity in the result. You don't seem to have six.
2) This is a Factoring and Recognition exercise. All you have done is type an equation into Wolfram. Will Wolfram be available to you on your exam?
3) You have not utilized the hint that was given to you in the problem statement.

I suggest very strongly that you use the hint. Lear to recognize quadratic forms. Learn to factor. Learn to recognize when you do and don't have the right answer.

Factor!

Answer 8

Well a teacher of this website told me to do this ok.

Answer 9

That's fine, but where did it get you? You did not get the right answer and you did not learn anything - except maybe not to trust Wolfram without first understanding what you are doing. I do hope you learned that.

Are you going to factor those quadratic forms or not? You did study factoring of quadratic equations, right?

Answer 10

Note: "A Teacher"? Teachers can generally read. This problem comes with very specific instructions concerning how to proceed. Whoever told you simply to use Wolfram either cannot read or decided to ignore the actual problem statement. If that's a teacher, their license should be pulled.