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B3N - STEP 2 Equalities and Inequalities

The STEP Support Programme provides notes on solving equations and inequalities, emphasizing the use of the discriminant for quadratics, graphing techniques, and the intermediate value theorem for finding roots. It also covers methods for solving inequalities, including completing the square and using graphs to identify solutions. Key examples illustrate the application of these concepts in practice.

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11 views3 pages

B3N - STEP 2 Equalities and Inequalities

The STEP Support Programme provides notes on solving equations and inequalities, emphasizing the use of the discriminant for quadratics, graphing techniques, and the intermediate value theorem for finding roots. It also covers methods for solving inequalities, including completing the square and using graphs to identify solutions. Key examples illustrate the application of these concepts in practice.

Uploaded by

ratsewage86
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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maths.

org/step

STEP Support Programme

STEP 2 Equations and Inequalities Topic Notes

Equations
ˆ For a quadratic equation, use the discriminant b2 − 4ac to find how many real roots the


equation has.

ˆ Substitutions can be used to turn a complicated equation into a simpler one (usually given
to you, x = t + 1t is a common one). Don’t forget to find the values of the original variable.

ˆ For other equations you could sketch a graph to work out how many real roots there are.
For example, to find out how many real roots of the equation x3 − 3x + 1 = 0 there are you
could sketch y = x3 − 3x + 1 (locate the turning points!) and see how many times it intersects
the x axis. You could instead draw two graphs (e.g. y = x3 − 3x and y = −1) and see how
many times they intersect.

ˆ If a < b and a continuous function f(x) has f(a) < 0 and f(b) > 0, (or vice versa) then there
is a root of the equation in the interval [a, b]. This is a special case of the intermediate value
theorem.

ˆ If a cubic has roots α, β and γ then we can write:

x3 + bx2 + cx + d ≡ (x − α)(x − β)(x − γ) .

Expanding the brackets and equating coefficients gives us:

α + β + γ = −b
αβ + βγ + γα = c
αβγ = −d .

You then then work out things like α2 + β 2 + γ 2 = (α + β + γ)2 − 2(αβ + βγ + γα)
Expand (α + β + γ)2 to see why this is true.
There are similar equations for other polynomials.

Inequalities
ˆ You can sometimes use completing the square to show that something is always positive or
negative.

ˆ If trying to show that A > B it might be easier to show that A − B > 0. For example to
show that p2 + q 2 > 2pq try showing that p2 + q 2 − 2pq > 0.

ˆ If A > B and C > D then A + C > B + D.


1 1
ˆ If A > B > 0 or 0 > A > B then < .
A B
This is not true if the signs of A and B are different!

ˆ Do not multiply or divide an inequality by something involving x (or another variable). You
might be multiplying by something negative! (Addition or subtraction is fine).
STEP 2 Equations Topic Notes 1
maths.org/step

ˆ When solving inequalities, graphs are your friends! Replace the inequality with an equals
sign, solve to find the intersections and then use your graph to solve the inequality.

STEP 2 Equations Topic Notes 2


maths.org/step

1 x
Example 1: <
1−x x−4
1 x
Start by sketching the two graphs y = and y = .
1−x x−4

1 x
Solving the equation = gives the points of intersection as x = ±2. You can then
1−x x−4
use the graph to see where the blue line is above the red line to give a final answer of x < −2 or
1 < x < 2 or x > 4.

As an alternative method you could have multiplied throughout by (1 − x)2 (x − 4)2 (which is fine as
we know that this is positive) and then solved (1 − x)(x − 4)2 < x(1 − x)2 (x − 4) which is equivalent
to (x − 1)(x − 4)(x2 − 4) > 0. There are quite a few places you can make sign errors along the way,
and I would still draw a graph to solve this last inequality!

Example 2: |x − 2| + 2 > |2x + 1|

Again, start by drawing two graphs. When x < 2 then |x − 2| + 2 = −(x − 2) + 2 = 4 − x and when
x > 2 we have |x − 2| + 2 = (x − 2) + 2 = x. Similarly for the other graph.

To find one point of intersection you need to solve −(x − 2) + 2 = −(2x + 1) (giving x = −5) and
for the other you need to solve −(x − 2) + 2 = 2x + 1 (giving x = 1). We then want to find where
the red line is above (or on) the blue line so we have −5 6 x 6 1.

STEP 2 Equations Topic Notes 3

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