Question 155·Medium·Nonlinear Equations in One Variable; Systems in Two Variables
For the system of equations above, what is the sum of all possible values of that satisfy the system?
For systems where one equation is quadratic and the other is linear, first look for an easy way to eliminate one variable, often by adding or subtracting the equations if one has and the other has . Once you reduce the system to a single quadratic in , rewrite it in standard form and use Vieta's formula to get the sum of the -values directly, without wasting time solving for each root individually.
Hints
Eliminate one variable
Notice that one equation has and the other has . What happens to if you add the two equations together?
Form and use a quadratic
After eliminating , you will get an equation involving only . Rearrange it into the standard quadratic form .
Use the sum-of-roots shortcut
For a quadratic , you do not need to solve for each root separately to find their sum. Recall the relationship between , , and the sum of the roots .
Desmos Guide
Graph both equations
In Desmos, enter the first equation as y = 10 - x^2 and the second equation as y = 3x - 2. These are equivalent to the original system and will appear as a parabola and a line.
Find the intersection points
Look for the points where the parabola and the line intersect. Click on each intersection point; Desmos will display their coordinates and .
Compute the sum of the x-coordinates
Note the two -coordinates from the intersection points. In a new Desmos expression line, type their sum (for example, x1 + x2 using the numerical values shown) to see the total. That total is the sum of all possible values of that satisfy the system.
Step-by-step Explanation
Eliminate y to get an equation in x only
The system is
Because one equation has and the other has , add the two equations so that cancels:
This simplifies to
Write a standard-form quadratic and recall the sum-of-roots formula
Move 12 to the left side to put the equation in standard quadratic form:
This quadratic factors nicely. We need two numbers that multiply to and add to . Those numbers are and , so
Find the sum of all possible x-values
Apply the zero-product property: means or , giving or .
The sum of all possible values of is:
So the correct answer is .