# Absolute Value Function Challenge

#### anemone

##### MHB POTW Director
Staff member
Solve $||||||| x^2 – x –1 |–3|–5|–7|–9| – 11|–13| = x^2 – 2x – 48$.

#### Jester

##### Well-known member
MHB Math Helper
My sol.
Since the LHS is greater than or equal to zero, this means $x^2-2x-48\ge 0$ so $x\le -6$ and $x \ge 8$. On this interval $x^2-x-1 >0$, $x^2-x-1-3 > 0$ and so on until $x^2-x-1-3-5-7-9-11 >$. Thus we are left with

$|x^2 - x - 1- 3 - 5- 7 - 9- 11 -13| = x^2-2x-48$

or

$(x^2-x-49)^2 = (x^2-2x-48)^2$

which we can solve giving $x = 1$, $x = 7.754462862$ and $x = -6.254462862$. The third is the desired solution.

#### anemone

##### MHB POTW Director
Staff member
Thanks for participating, Jester and thanks also showing me this quick way to crack it!

I feel so dumb and silly now because for an hour that I spent today to work on this particular problem, I didn't see the "trick" that you used in your solution and cracked it using one stupidest way!

#### anemone

##### MHB POTW Director
Staff member
Hi MHB,

I've "improved" the original problem to make it more "difficult" and I sure hope you enjoy solving this modified version of the problem.

Solve $||||||| x^2 – x –1 |–3|–5|–7|–9| – 11|–13| = (2x+9)(x-8)$.

#### anemone

##### MHB POTW Director
Staff member
My solution to solve $||||||| x^2 – x –1 |–3|–5|–7|–9| – 11|–13| = (2x+9)(x-8)$ is shown below:

I first tried some simpler function and drew the graph of $y=|||| x^2 – x –1 |–3|–5|–7|$ on a paper and then I came to realize that there was a trick to find each formula of the function defined at specific intervals and next, I applied it to our case here and has labeled the formulas for the last three functions as shown in the diagram above.

We see that we've two cases to consider and to find the solution where $x<0$ for case A, we solve the equation $y=x^2 – x –1 –3–5–7–9– 11+13$ and $y=(2x+9)(x-8)$ simultaneously and get

$$\displaystyle x=3-\sqrt{58}\approx -4.616$$

and observe that $$\displaystyle -5.52<x=3-\sqrt{58}\approx -4.616<-4.52$$ and this is the solution that we're after.

Now, for case B, we solve the equation $y=-(x^2 – x –1 –3–5–7–9– 11-13)$ and $y=(2x+9)(x-8)$ simultaneously and get

$$\displaystyle x=\frac{4-\sqrt{379}}{3}\approx-5.515$$

and observe that $$\displaystyle -6.517<x=-5.515 \not<-5.52$$ and thus this answer can be discarded.

And to determine the $x$ value when $x>0$, we solve the equations $y=x^2 – x –1 –3–5–7–9– 11-13$ and $y=(2x+9)(x-8)$ simultaneously and get

$$\displaystyle x=3+4\sqrt{2}$$

Thus, the answers for solving $||||||| x^2 – x –1 |–3|–5|–7|–9| – 11|–13| = (2x+9)(x-8)$ are $$\displaystyle x=3-\sqrt{58}$$ and $$\displaystyle x=3+4\sqrt{2}$$.