Can You Solve This Complex Radical Equation?

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on solving the complex radical equation $\dfrac{7}{\sqrt{x^2-10x+26}+\sqrt{x^2-10x+29}+\sqrt{x^2-10x+41}}=x^4-9x^3+16x^2+15x+26$. The solution provided by user Opalg successfully addresses the equation, demonstrating the necessary algebraic manipulations and simplifications. This discussion highlights the importance of understanding radical expressions and polynomial equations in advanced mathematics.

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Here is this week's POTW:

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Solve the equation $\dfrac{7}{\sqrt{x^2-10x+26}+\sqrt{x^2-10x+29}+\sqrt{x^2-10x+41}}=x^4-9x^3+16x^2+15x+26$

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Congratulations to Opalg (Cool) for his correct solution, which you can find below:

Solution from Opalg:
Since $x^2-10x + 26 = (x-5)^2 + 1$, $x^2-10x + 29 = (x-5)^2 + 4$ and $x^2-10x + 41 = (x-5)^2 + 16$, it seems natural to wite the right side of the equation in terms of $x-5$: $$\begin{aligned} x^4-9x^3+16x^2+15x+26 &= (x-5)(x^3 - 4x^2 - 4x -5) + 1 \\ &= (x-5)^2(x^2 + x + 1) + 1. \end{aligned}$$ Therefore $\dfrac{7}{\sqrt{x^2-10x+26}+\sqrt{x^2-10x+29}+\sqrt{x^2-10x+41}}=x^4-9x^3+16x^2+15x+26$ can be written as $$\dfrac{7}{\sqrt{ (x-5)^2 + 1}+\sqrt{ (x-5)^2 + 4}+\sqrt{ (x-5)^2 + 16 }} = (x-5)^2(x^2 + x + 1) + 1.$$ If $x=5$ then both sides are equal to $1$. If $x\ne5$ then the left side is less than $1$ (because the denominator will be greater than $7$), and the right side is greater than $1$ (because $x^2+x+1$ is always positive). So $x=5$ is the only solution.
 

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