Question

Find all solutions in the integers of the equation ||x−3|−5| = 10, where the bars indicate absolute value.

Answer 1

x = 18 or x = -12.

Explanation:

||x-3|-5| = 10 only if |x-3|-5 = 10 or |x-3|-5 = -10, i.e., if |x-3|=15 or |x-3|=-5; but |x-3| cannot be equal to -5, because |x-3| should be a non-negative value. Therefore, the first equation is true only if |x-3|=15. |x-3| = 15 only if x-3 = 15 or x-3 = -15, i.e., x = 18 or x = -12. We can verify this in the following way: ||18-3|-5|=||15|-5|=|10|=10 and ||-12-3|-5|=||-15|-5|=|15-5|=|10|=10. This verify that our solution is correct.