Re: problem in algebra
(a)
tkbits is right: (x^2 + y^2)^2 = x^4 + 2 x^2 y^2 + y^4, so adding -64 x^2 y^2 to both sides gives (x^2 + y^2)^2 - 64 x^2 y^2 = x^4 + y^4 - 62 x^2 y^2.
I don't really understand "Hence find the factors (x^4 + y^4) - 62x²y² = -2135
x²+8xy+y = 61 " but I assume those are given conditions and we are to find x and y.
From above, (x^4 + y^4) - 62x²y² = -2135 means (x^2 + y^2)^2 - 64 x^2 y^2 = (x^2 + y^2)^2 - (8 x y)^2 = (x^2 + y^2 - 8xy)(x^2 + y^2 + 8xy) = -2135. But x^2 + 8xy + y^2 = 61 so we have (x^2 + y^2 - 8xy) * 61 = -2135 or x^2 + y^2 - 8xy = -2135/61 = -35. So far we have
x^2 + 8xy + y^2 = 61
x^2 - 8xy + y^2 = -35.
This is 2 equations in 2 unknowns: it is solvable. Add the first to the second to get 2*(x^2 + y^2) = 61 - 35 = 26 or x^2 + y^2 = 13. Subtract the second from the first to get 8xy - (-8xy) = 61 - (-35) or 16xy = 96 or finally xy = 6. Now we have
x^2 + y^2 = 13
xy = 6
It is easy to guess from the first equation that x=2, y=3 and x=-2, y=-3 are solutions (as are x=3,y=2 and x=-3,y=-2). The second equation verifies this. If you want to be more rigorous about it, use the fact that y = 6/x to rewrite the first equation:
x^2 + 36/x^2 = 13
so x^4 - 13x^2 + 36 = 0
or (x^2 - 9)(x^2 - 4) = 0
Thus either x^2 - 9 = 0, giving x = +/- 3, or x^2 - 4 = 0, giving x = +/- 2. After solving the corresponding y (namely, y = 6/x) these are (of course) similar to our guesses above.
(b)
mayyans solution is correct up to this part: 2√(x-3)√(2x+1) = x+2. Square both sides to get 4(x-3)(2x+1) = (x+2)^2, so 8x^2 - 20x - 12 = x^2 + 4x + 4. After transposing we have the quadratic eqn:
7x² - 24x - 16 = 0
We can factor the left to get
(7x + 4)(x - 4) = 0.
Here, as mayyan pointed out, we have a constraint for x: x≥3. This is in order for our original equation to make sense in the REAL numbers. We impose this on the roots x = -4/7 and x = 4 of the preceeding quadratic equation. It turns out that only x = 4 (which is >= 3) IS acceptable.