Solving the Equation (x-2)² + (x+1)² = 5
This equation represents a quadratic equation in disguise. Let's break it down and solve for the values of 'x'.
Expanding and Simplifying
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Expand the squares:
- (x-2)² = x² - 4x + 4
- (x+1)² = x² + 2x + 1
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Substitute back into the original equation:
- (x² - 4x + 4) + (x² + 2x + 1) = 5
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Combine like terms:
- 2x² - 2x + 5 = 5
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Simplify further:
- 2x² - 2x = 0
Solving the Quadratic Equation
We now have a simplified quadratic equation. There are a few ways to solve this:
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Factoring:
- Factor out a 2x: 2x(x - 1) = 0
- Set each factor equal to zero: 2x = 0 or x - 1 = 0
- Solve for x: x = 0 or x = 1
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Quadratic Formula:
- The quadratic formula is a general solution for any quadratic equation in the form ax² + bx + c = 0:
- x = (-b ± √(b² - 4ac)) / 2a
- In our case, a = 2, b = -2, and c = 0.
- Substitute these values into the formula and you'll arrive at the same solutions as factoring: x = 0 or x = 1.
Conclusion
Therefore, the solutions to the equation (x-2)² + (x+1)² = 5 are x = 0 and x = 1.