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Help with this Alg 2 problem


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I have the answer but not a mapped out solution. I am coming up with -5/4 and -5 but they only have -5/4 listed as an answer in the key.

ETA: I forgot to test both answers in the original equation. Rookie mistake. sorry guys.

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Edited by cintinative
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If you use -5, then you would have to take the negative roots in order for it to work in the initial equation. With positive roots (which is what is assumed when no sign is given), you get 4=6, which doesn't work. So -5 is an extraneous solution.

Edited by purpleowl
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When you square both sides of an equation, you risk introducing extraneous solutions, so you need to test all your solutions in the original equation.  

Plugging in s=-5 into the original equation we get the left hand side, LHS = 4 and the right hand side,  RHS = 6, so this is extraneous.  

Trying s=-\frac{5}{4} we get both sides of the original equation, LHS = RHS = \frac{7}{2}, so this is our valid solution.
 

 

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2 minutes ago, daijobu said:

When you square both sides of an equation, you risk introducing extraneous solutions, so you need to test all your solutions in the original equation.  

Plugging in s=-5 into the original equation we get the left hand side, LHS = 4 and the right hand side,  RHS = 6, so this is extraneous.  

Trying s=-\frac{5}{4} we get both sides of the original equation, LHS = RHS = \frac{7}{2}, so this is our valid solution.
 

 

Yes, I just totally forgot to do this.  Thanks for the reminder!

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