I was absent on my last algebra lesson, and we studied the vieta formulas. I understand them very well, but the homework don't make sense:
Solve: x1 + x2 + x3 = a
(x1)^2 + (x2)^2 + (x3)^2 = a^2
(x1)^3 + (x2)^3 + (x3)^3 = a^3
(x1, 2 and 3 are the roots of an hypothetical equation)
I don't understand what is expected of me - what did the teacher mean, 'solve' these?
You don't have to solve this, just please give me an idea of what my goal is..
Solve: x1 + x2 + x3 = a
(x1)^2 + (x2)^2 + (x3)^2 = a^2
(x1)^3 + (x2)^3 + (x3)^3 = a^3
(x1, 2 and 3 are the roots of an hypothetical equation)
I don't understand what is expected of me - what did the teacher mean, 'solve' these?
You don't have to solve this, just please give me an idea of what my goal is..
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The goal is to solve for x1, x2, x3. That is, express each of x1, x2, x3 entirely in terms of a.