4th degree

Factual Questions
1

Ok so everyone knows the formula for solving a 2nd degree polynomial is the quadratic equation, dervived from “Completing the Square” but I was reading a book on the history of math that mentioned and showed a rather complicated formula for the formula for solving a 3rd degree polynomial, but it only mentioned that a formula for a 4th degree was known. the formula wasn’t listed and I can’t seem to find it anywhere, is this a piece of lost information?

any help finding this formula would be appreciated, I’m rather curios

-Evan

2

I used to worry about stuff like this too, Evan. But then I got the Dish Network, so now I watch “Charlie Chat” instead.

3

Yeah, actually, there’s some interesting history and interesting people behind the solution of the cubic and quartic equations; it was kept a secret for a long time, then someone (Cardano, I believe) broke a promise to keep it secret. I don’t remember the whole story too well offhand, and it would be too long to go into here, anyway. Here’s a link to both solutions.

By the way, in 1824, Niels Abel proved that there is [a]no[/a] such solution for fifth degree (or higher) polynomials.

…ebius sig. This is a moebius sig. This is a mo…
(sig line courtesy of WallyM7)

4

Short story: It’s called…Calculus! There are some short steps which lead you to the roots (solutions) of higher polynomials.

“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV

5

Yeah, but they’re not analytic closed-form solutions, as are the solutions for the quadratic, cubic, and quartic polynomials.

jrf

6

Everyone knows this? Was it published in the newspapers? Concealed in fortune cookies? Are they playing it on top-40 radio?

                                     ;)