What is the product of (x-a)(x-b)(x-c)...?

[vikasj007]

well i could not get anything really mibd boggling, so u will have to put up with this one

what is the product of:

(x-a)(x-b)(x-c)..... = ?

 

[cepheid]

$$(x^2 - bx - ax + ab)(x-c)$$

$$= x^3 - cx^2 - bx^2 + cbx - ax^2 +cax + abx - cab$$

What the hell was the point? Basic algebra, without even a nice expansion.

EDIT *sigh*, yeah ok, had to collect terms, it looked so bad otherwise:

$$= x^3 - (a+b+c)x^2 + (ab + ac + bc)x - abc$$

 

[Pi]

Haha, haven't seen that one in a long time

(x - a)(x - b) ... (x - x)(x - y)(x - z) = 0

since x - x = 0

 

[vikasj007]

what in the world was cepheid trying to do?

next time try to read carefully.

 

[check]

vilkasj007, u should have written it more clearly. something like this:
(x-a)(x-b)...(x-y)(x-z) = ?