Advent calendar 2022
8 December
The equation \(x^5 - 7x^4 - 27x^3 + 175x^2 + 218x = 840\) has five real solutions. What is the product of all these solutions?
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The product of all the solutions is 840.
Expanding \((x-\alpha)(x-\beta)(x-\gamma)(x-\delta)(x-\epsilon)=0\) gives \(x^5 + \dots = \alpha\beta\gamma\delta\epsilon\). As long as the
coefficient of \(x^5\) is 1, the constant term when written like this will be the product of all the solutions (for this to always work, you will need to include repeated solutions and complex solutions.)
Extension
The equation \(x^8 - 19x^7 + 126x^6 - 294x^5 - 231x^4 + 1869x^3 - 1576x^2 - 1556x + 1680=0\) has eight real solutions. What is the product of all these solutions?
