Math Is Fun Forum

Sorry, JaneFairfax was faster, hehehe.

Yes I'm sorry, I forgot to mention the third result: 1.

I now know how to solve that quintic function by the way. The Horner scheme is just a faster way to divide a polynomial. Like this:

Now you write all coefficients in a scheme:

   |   1    -1    -1    1    -6    6
   |
   |----------------------------------

Then you take one number that gives 0 as result when you replace the x of the function with it, so for example when you take 1:

You add that number to the scheme:

   |   1    -1    -1    1    -6    6
1  |
   |----------------------------------

And now you do the specific algorithm (Check this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horner_scheme).

   |   1    -1    -1    1    -6    6
1  |         1     0   -1     0   -6
   |----------------------------------
   |   1     0    -1    0    -6  | 0

The new numbers are the coefficients of the new function, so:

Then you just do the same as you did with question A.

Now find the determinant:

Use the formula:

On y1:

On y2:

Substitute:

Final results:

I can get the results -1 and 9 when you do