Solving polynomials with Maxima ?



Maybe the last file was too large.

Here is the real solution - but there are two imaginary ones too.



On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 3:19 PM, W F <amzoti at gmail.com> wrote:

> I also solved it in Mathematica and added a jpg file of the output.
>
> It looks like there us a real and two imaginary solutions.
>
> Not sure that helps.
>
> ~A
>
> On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 3:16 PM, Richard Fateman <fateman at cs.berkeley.edu>wrote:
>
>>  Your "polynomial" is of degree 3 in x^(1/2).
>>
>> I suggest you make the change of variables t=x^(1/2) and solve
>>
>> a*t^3-b*t^2+c*t-d=0.
>>
>> This can be solved for t by solve(......,t);
>>
>> then take the square root of the answer. This will give you 6 solutions (+
>> and - sqrt).
>>
>> I hope this helps.
>>
>> (The symbolic solution to a cubic like this is generally very complicated
>> and not of much use.)
>>
>>
>>
>>  ------------------------------
>> *From:* maxima-bounces at math.utexas.edu [mailto:
>> maxima-bounces at math.utexas.edu] *On Behalf Of *Laure.DUTOIT at cepal.org
>> *Sent:* Monday, September 22, 2008 3:10 PM
>> *To:* maxima at math.utexas.edu
>> *Subject:* [Maxima] Solving polynomials with Maxima ?
>>
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> I am trying to solve a polynomial using Maxima, but I cannot get an
>> explicit answer. My polynomial is of the following form:
>> x^(3/2) a - x b + x^(1/2) c - d =0, where a,b,c and d are composed of
>> several variables, but are not of interest.
>>
>> So, I would like to be able to solve this polynomial (I am not a
>> mathematician, but I think solving such a polynomial is feasible using a
>> mathematical software, no ?) using Maxima to get to an answer of the form
>> x=f(a,b,c,d) and not x=f(a,b,c,d,x), as I now get using the command "solve"
>> (i.e, the answer I am given is not explicit).
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>
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