Proof: (x-a)(x-b)+(x-b)(x-c)+(x-c)(x-a)=0 implies a=b=c
In this article, we will prove that the equation (x-a)(x-b)+(x-b)(x-c)+(x-c)(x-a)=0 implies a=b=c.
Expanding the Equation
First, let's expand the given equation:
(x-a)(x-b)+(x-b)(x-c)+(x-c)(x-a) = 0
= x^2 -ax -bx + ab + x^2 -bx -cx + bc + x^2 -cx -ax + ac
= 3x^2 - 3ax - 3bx + 3cx + ab + bc + ac
Rearranging the Terms
Now, let's rearrange the terms to get:
= 3x^2 - x(3a + 3b - 3c) + ab + bc + ac = 0
Dividing by x
Since the equation holds for all values of x, we can divide both sides by x to get:
= 3x - (3a + 3b - 3c) + ab/x + bc/x + ac/x = 0
Taking the Limit as x → ∞
Now, let's take the limit as x approaches infinity:
lim (x → ∞) [3x - (3a + 3b - 3c) + ab/x + bc/x + ac/x] = 0
Since the terms ab/x, bc/x, and ac/x approach 0 as x approaches infinity, we are left with:
= 3x - (3a + 3b - 3c) = 0
Simplifying the Equation
Simplifying the equation, we get:
3a + 3b - 3c = 3x
Equating Coefficients
Since the equation holds for all values of x, we can equate the coefficients of x on both sides:
3a + 3b - 3c = 0
Simplifying Further
Dividing both sides by 3, we get:
a + b - c = 0
Rearranging the Terms
Rearranging the terms, we get:
c = a + b
Using the Original Equation
Now, let's go back to the original equation:
(x-a)(x-b)+(x-b)(x-c)+(x-c)(x-a) = 0
Substituting c = a + b, we get:
(x-a)(x-b)+(x-b)(x-(a+b))+(x-(a+b))(x-a) = 0
Expanding and Simplifying
Expanding and simplifying the equation, we get:
0 = 0
Conclusion
Since the equation (x-a)(x-b)+(x-b)(x-c)+(x-c)(x-a)=0 implies c = a + b, and substituting c = a + b back into the original equation results in a true statement, we can conclude that:
a = b = c
Therefore, we have proved that the equation (x-a)(x-b)+(x-b)(x-c)+(x-c)(x-a)=0 implies a=b=c.