How do I find all real and complex zeros of #x^5+x+1#?
1 Answer
Factor into the product of a quadratic and a cubic, then find the roots of those using the quadratic formula and Cardano's method.
Explanation:
#x^5+x+1 = (x^2+x+1)(x^3-x^2+1)#
#x^2+x+1 = 0# has solutions#x = color(blue)((-1+-isqrt(3))/2)#
To solve
Then
#t^3 = (x-1/3)^3 = x^3-x^2+1/3x-1/27#
#-1/3t = -1/3(x-1/3) = -1/3x+1/9#
So
#t^3-1/3t+25/27 = x^3-x^2+1/3x-1/27-1/3x+1/9+25/27#
#=x^3-x^2+1#
So our cubic becomes:
#t^3-1/3t+25/27 = 0#
Multiply through by
#27t^3-9t+25 = 0#
Next let
#0 = 27(u^3+3u^2v+3uv^2+v^3)-9(u+v)+25#
#=27u^3+27v^3+(81uv-9)(u+v)+25#
Add the constraint that
Then
#0 = 27u^3+27(1/9u)^3+25 = 27u^3 + 1/(27u^3)+25#
Multiply through by
#0 = 729(u^3)^2+675(u^3)+1#
So:
#u^3 = (-675+-sqrt(675^2-4*729))/(2*729)#
#=(-675+-27sqrt(625-4))/(27*54)#
#=(-25+-sqrt(621))/54#
#=(-25+-sqrt(9*69))/54#
#=(-25+-3sqrt(69))/54#
Since the derivation was symmetric in
#t = root(3)((-25+3sqrt(69))/54) + root(3)((-25-3sqrt(69))/54)#
#= 1/3root(3)((-25+3sqrt(69))/2) + 1/3root(3)((-25-3sqrt(69))/2)#
and
#x = t+1/3 = color(blue)(1/3+1/3root(3)((-25+3sqrt(69))/2) + 1/3root(3)((-25-3sqrt(69))/2))#
The Complex roots are found using
#x = color(blue)(1/3+omega/3 root(3)((-25+3sqrt(69))/2) + omega^2/3 root(3)((-25-3sqrt(69))/2))#
#x = color(blue)(1/3+omega^2/3 root(3)((-25+3sqrt(69))/2) + omega/3 root(3)((-25-3sqrt(69))/2))#
That is
#x~~0.87744+0.74486 i#
#x~~0.87744-0.74486 i#
Postscript
Note that in general, quintic equations of the form
There is a special kind of radical called a Bring Radical, which represents the principal root of this quintic. That is:
#BR(a)# is the principal root of#x^5+x+a = 0#
If