Solving the Equation: (x^2 - 7)^2 - 6(x^2 - 7) - 16 = 0
This equation might look intimidating at first, but we can solve it using a simple substitution method.
1. Substitution
Let's substitute y = x^2 - 7. This will simplify our equation:
y^2 - 6y - 16 = 0
2. Factoring the Quadratic
Now we have a standard quadratic equation. We can factor it:
(y - 8)(y + 2) = 0
This gives us two possible solutions for y:
- y = 8
- y = -2
3. Substitute Back
Now, let's substitute back x^2 - 7 for y in each solution:
-
For y = 8: x^2 - 7 = 8 x^2 = 15 x = ±√15
-
For y = -2: x^2 - 7 = -2 x^2 = 5 x = ±√5
4. Solutions
Therefore, the solutions to the equation (x^2 - 7)^2 - 6(x^2 - 7) - 16 = 0 are:
x = √15, x = -√15, x = √5, x = -√5