Art of Problem Solving

Vieta's formulas: Difference between revisions

Aarav22 (talk | contribs)
Aarav22 (talk | contribs)
No edit summary
Line 4: Line 4:
the following holds:
the following holds:


\begin{align*}
 
r_1 + r_2 + r_3 + \cdots + r_n (the sum of all terms) &= −\frac{a_{n−1}}{a_n} \\
<math>r_1 + r_2 + r_3 + \cdots + r_n (the sum of all terms) &= −\frac{a_{n−1}}{a_n}</math> \\
r_1r_2 + r_1r_3 + \cdots + r_{n−1}r_n (the sum of all products of 2 terms) &= \frac{a_{n−2}}{a_n} \\
<math>r_1r_2 + r_1r_3 + \cdots + r_{n−1}r_n (the sum of all products of 2 terms) &= \frac{a_{n−2}}{a_n}</math> \\
r_1r_2r_3 + r_1r_2r_4 + \cdots + r_{n−2}r_{n−1}r_n (the sum of all products of 3 terms) &= −\frac{a_{n−3}{a_n} \\
<math>r_1r_2r_3 + r_1r_2r_4 + \cdots + r_{n−2}r_{n−1}r_n (the sum of all products of 3 terms) &= −\frac{a_{n−3}{a_n}</math> \\
&\vdots \\
 
r_1r_2r_3 \cdots r_n (the sum of all products of n terms) &= (−1)^n \frac{a_0}{a_n}
r_1r_2r_3 \cdots r_n (the sum of all products of n terms) &= (−1)^n \frac{a_0}{a_n}
\end{align*}
 


Note that the negative and positive signs alternate. When summing the products for odd number of terms, we will have a negative sign otherwise we will have a positive sign.
Note that the negative and positive signs alternate. When summing the products for odd number of terms, we will have a negative sign otherwise we will have a positive sign.
This can be used in a variety of problems, such as :
== Intermediate Level ==\\
AIME I 2001/3\\
AIME I 2014/5\\
AIME 1996/5\\
AIME I 2005/8\\
AIME 1993/5\\
AIME II 2008/7\\
\\
Try these out!\\
\\
This theorem relates to polynomials
{{stub}}

Revision as of 09:58, 15 October 2025

Theorem 14.1.4 (Vieta’s Formula For Higher Degree Polynomials) In a polynomial $a_n x^n + a_{n-1} x ^ {n-1} ..... a_1 x^{1} + a_0$ with roots $r_1 r_2 r_3 ... r_n$

the following holds:


$r_1 + r_2 + r_3 + \cdots + r_n (the sum of all terms) &= −\frac{a_{n−1}}{a_n}$ (Error compiling LaTeX. Unknown error_msg) \\ $r_1r_2 + r_1r_3 + \cdots + r_{n−1}r_n (the sum of all products of 2 terms) &= \frac{a_{n−2}}{a_n}$ (Error compiling LaTeX. Unknown error_msg) \\ $r_1r_2r_3 + r_1r_2r_4 + \cdots + r_{n−2}r_{n−1}r_n (the sum of all products of 3 terms) &= −\frac{a_{n−3}{a_n}$ (Error compiling LaTeX. Unknown error_msg) \\

r_1r_2r_3 \cdots r_n (the sum of all products of n terms) &= (−1)^n \frac{a_0}{a_n}


Note that the negative and positive signs alternate. When summing the products for odd number of terms, we will have a negative sign otherwise we will have a positive sign.