SAT Math · Nonlinear equations in one variable · hard
The equation x² - 15x + c = 0 has two real solutions that differ by 7. What is the value of c?
The equation has two real solutions that differ by 7. What is the value of ?
Answer and explanation
Answer: 44
Let the roots be and . For , the roots sum to 15, so and . The roots are 4 and 11, and is their product: . Check: , and . A common wrong answer is 56, from using the roots 7 and 8, which sum to 15 but differ by only 1. Another is 15, the sum of the roots, which is the -coefficient and not . A third is 7, the difference.
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