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Printjmc
algebra intermediate
Problem
Find the range of the function where can be any real number. (Give your answer in interval notation.)
Solution
Let be a number in the range of This means that there is a real number such that Multiplying both sides by and rearranging, we get the equation Since for all our steps are reversible, so is in the range of if and only if this equation has a real solution for In turn, this equation has a real solution for if and only if the discriminant of this quadratic is nonnegative. Therefore, the range of consists exactly of the values of which satisfy or This quadratic factors as which means that the solutions to the inequality are given by Therefore, the range of is the closed interval
Final answer
[-\tfrac13, 1]