X! 1.5 2 – HP 48G User Manual

Page 59

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To decide which case it is, you should find the value of the expression

at the Sign Reversal point,

Exaiiiphn Find the value of the expression at the computed value of

X

in order to decide whether it is a solution to

R A T F U N C

or represents the location of a discontinuity.

S t e p 1 :

Press to move the highlight to the EQ: field and press

E !-i F' F; =. The value of the expression at the computed value

of .(■ is returned to the stack.

S t e p 2 :

Return to the stack to view the value of the expression

(labeled E x p r s ) ,

fCANCELl

{ HOME EXAMPLES EONS i

4:

3:

X! 1.5

2:

a -

-3.00000000001

1:

Expr: 133333333333

Because the value of the expression is not close to zero, in all

likelihood, there is a discontinuity at

x

= —3. (You can confirm

this by substituting -3 into the original equation and observing
that it generates denominators equal to zero—a sign of a potential

discontinuity.)

In general, whenever you expect multiple solutions, you’ll probably
save yourself some time and effort by plotting the expression and using

the graphical analysis tools instead of the SOLVE application (see

lesson 26 for an example).

Press frRfSOLVE) OK to return to the SOLVE application and try

solving another equation—this time keying it in yourself.

Exiiiiiplc':

Find the measure (in degrees) of the largest angle in a

triangle with sides of 4, 7, and 9, with

9

as the largest

angle and c as the largest side). Use the Law of Cosines:

c“ =

+ 6“ — 2a6 cos

9

Solving Equations 5-5

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