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jmc

algebra intermediate

Problem

For certain real values of and the equation has four non-real roots. The product of two of these roots is and the sum of the other two roots is where Find
Solution
Since the coefficients of the polynomial are all real, the four non-real roots must come in two conjugate pairs. Let and be the two roots that multiply to . Since is not real, and cannot be conjugates of each other (since any complex number times its conjugate is a real number). Therefore, the other two roots must be and , the conjugates of and . Therefore, we have To find , we use Vieta's formulas: equals the second symmetric sum of the roots, which is To evaluate this expression, we first recognize the terms and . We have , so . Thus, To finish, we can factor the remaining terms by grouping: From , we get . Thus,
Final answer
51