If the roots of x2+px+q=0x^2 + px + q = 0 are in the ratio 2:3, prove that 6p2=25q6p^2 = 25q.

Answer: The proof shows that if the roots of x2+px+q=0x^2 + px + q = 0 are in the ratio 2:3 ,then6p2=25q, then 6p^2 = 25q.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: Define the roots

We are given that the roots of the quadratic equation x2+px+q=0x^2 + px + q = 0 are in the ratio 2:3. Therefore, we can represent the roots as 2α2\alpha and 3α3\alpha for some non-zero constant α\alpha.

Step 2: Apply Vieta's formulas for sum of roots

For a quadratic equation ax2+bx+c=0ax^2 + bx + c = 0, the sum of the roots is given by -b/a. In our equation x2+px+q=0x^2 + px + q = 0 ,a=1, a=1, b=pb=p ,andc=q, and c=q. So, the sum of the roots 2α+3α2\alpha + 3\alpha is equal to -p/1 = -p. This simplifies to 5α=−p5\alpha = -p.

Step 3: Apply Vieta's formulas for product of roots

For a quadratic equation ax2+bx+c=0ax^2 + bx + c = 0, the product of the roots is given by c/a. In our equation x2+px+q=0x^2 + px + q = 0, the product of the roots (2α2\alpha)(3α3\alpha) is equal to q/1 = q. This simplifies to 6α2=q6\alpha^2 = q.

Step 4: Express α\alpha in terms of pp

From equation (1), we have 5α=−p5\alpha = -p. We can express α\alpha in terms of p by dividing both sides by 5, which gives α=−p/5\alpha = -p/5.

Step 5: Substitute α\alpha into the product of roots equation

Now we substitute the expression for α\alpha from the previous step into equation (2). This means replacing α\alpha with -p/5 in the equation 6α2=q6\alpha^2 = q .Squaring−p/5givesp2/25. Squaring -p/5 gives p^2/25. Multiplying by 6, we get 6p2/25=q6p^2/25 = q.

Step 6: Rearrange to prove the identity

To obtain the desired identity, we multiply both sides of the equation 6p2/25=q6p^2/25 = q by 25. This results in 6p2=25q6p^2 = 25q which is what we needed to prove.

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