Can You Simplify and Solve This Complex Equation for y?

  • Thread starter Thread starter CourtneyS
  • Start date Start date
CourtneyS
Messages
23
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


I am supposed to solve this equation for y.

Homework Equations


0=-(x+0.91)/(y^2+(x+0.91)^2 )+ (x-0.91)/(y^2+(x-0.91)^2)

The Attempt at a Solution


I moved one of the terms to the other side and saw no way to get the solution doing that so then I got a CD by doing this:

[ (x+.91)(y^2 + (x-0.91)^2) - (x-0.91)(y^2+(x+0.91)^2) ] / [ (y^2 + (x+0.91)^2) (y^2 + (x-0.91)^2 ]

Then expanded

{xy^2 + x(x+0.91)^2 - 0.91y^2 + 0.91(x+0.91)^2 - [xy^2 +x(x+0.91)^2 - 0.91y^2 - 0.91(x+0.91)^2]} / [y^22 + y^2(x+0.91)^2 + y^2(x-0.91)^2 + (x+0.91)^2*(x-0.91)^2]

I don't really think expanding helps at all but I didn't know what else to so cause I didn't see a solution from the earlier eqn.

Any suggestions?[/B]
 
Physics news on Phys.org
CourtneyS said:

Homework Statement


I am supposed to solve this equation for y.

Homework Equations


0=-(x+0.91)/(y^2+(x+0.91)^2 )+ (x-0.91)/(y^2+(x-0.91)^2)

The Attempt at a Solution


I moved one of the terms to the other side and saw no way to get the solution doing that so then I got a CD by doing this:

[ (x+.91)(y^2 + (x-0.91)^2) - (x-0.91)(y^2+(x+0.91)^2) ] / [ (y^2 + (x+0.91)^2) (y^2 + (x-0.91)^2 ]

Then expanded

{xy^2 + x(x+0.91)^2 - 0.91y^2 + 0.91(x+0.91)^2 - [xy^2 +x(x+0.91)^2 - 0.91y^2 - 0.91(x+0.91)^2]} / [y^22 + y^2(x+0.91)^2 + y^2(x-0.91)^2 + (x+0.91)^2*(x-0.91)^2]

I don't really think expanding helps at all but I didn't know what else to so cause I didn't see a solution from the earlier eqn.

Any suggestions?[/B]

Yes. First suggestion is call ##a=.91##. Second is to use tex and write it as$$
\frac{x+a}{y^2+(x+a)^2}=\frac {x-a}{y^2+(x-a)^2}$$Now invert both sides and you should be able to solve it for ##y^2##.
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
Back
Top