## JingleBells Group Title Problem Set 1, 1H-3 (c), Can someone help me with this? The solution y=[e^x+-(e^x^2+4x^x)^1/2]/2 Is there a straight forward way to deduce that y-1<0? Thanks a lot! one year ago one year ago

1. genix Group Title

You have mistakenly written < 0, it's y-1 > 0 Deduced like this $2\ln y = \ln{(y+1)+x}$ $\rightarrow 2\ln y - \ln(y+1)= x$ $\rightarrow \ln y^2- \ln(y+1) = x$ $\rightarrow \ln(\frac{y^2}{y+1})=x$ exponentiate $\frac{y^2}{y+1}= e^x$ Now because e to the x is ALWAYS greater than ZERO we have $e^x > 0$ so then must $\frac{y^2}{y+1}> 0\rightarrow y^2>0\rightarrow y>0$ Now if $y>0$ and $e^x > 0$ then ( and this is important ) $e^x \cdot y > e^x$ So divide both sides by $e^x$ $y > 1 \rightarrow y -1 > 0$ And thus we have shown that infact $y-1 > 0$

2. JingleBells Group Title

Thank you so much! It's the multiplying both side by e^x that I didn't know! Great help!

3. JingleBells Group Title

Sorry to bother you again: but how is it that e^xy>e^x again? if 0<y<1?

4. genix Group Title

if $e^x > 0$ and $y>0$ and also from the equation we are given $y^2 = e^xy + e^x$ we can deduce that y is greater than e^x because it takes something (positive) to be added to e^xy to EQUAL y squared. So if $y>e^x$ it means that $e^xy > e^x$ because ANYTHING multiplied by something greater than itself will be greater than itself.

5. JingleBells Group Title

Sorry about that, should have thought of it by myself, feeling really dumb right now!

6. genix Group Title

Never let math make you feel 'dumb', it all depends on where your mind is at in a moment in time. This is why mathematics is so complicated, your expected to take so many many things into account all at once! However its moments like these that help some things 'stick' and for it to always be in the forefront of your memory. Never has it been more true than with mathematics, the saying 'we learn by our mistakes'! And remember that 'forgetting' is NOT 'dumb' or 'stupid', it's never being able to 'understand' something that is the problem!