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Help me solve this algebra question.

Help me solve this algebra question.-example-1
User Erie
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1 Answer

21 votes
21 votes

9514 1404 393

Answer:

5.33 cm

Explanation:

The smallest positive zero of the polynomial with d=0.55 is about 5.33. We presume the units are cm.

The ball sinks to a depth of 5.33 cm.

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I find a graphing calculator shows the zeros of higher-degree polynomials easily. The function graph is attached.

For the purpose here, the vertical scale factor π/3 can be eliminated, as it does not change the values of the zeros. That is, the polynomial we need to solve is x²(x -15) +275 = 0.

It turns out that a reasonable iterator for finding a solution is x' = √(275/(15 -x)). x = 5 is a reasonable starting point. The iterator is what you get by solving for the x outside the parentheses in the above cubic equation.

Help me solve this algebra question.-example-1
User Johnfound
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