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Author(s): E. L. Rees
Source: The American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Feb., 1922), pp. 51-55
Published by: Mathematical Association of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2972804
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1922.]
51
which
It is thepurposeofthisnoteto givea graphicalstudyoftheconditions
the natureof the rootsof a quarticequation. Using the reduced
determine
formf(x) = x4+ qxl + rx+ s = 0, withq, r and s real and withdiscriminant
the
regarding
are criteriae
A,we havetypesofthequarticforwhichthefollowing
natureoftheroots:
A < 0, rootsdistinct,
tworeal,twoimaginary;
A > 0, rootsdistinct,
all realor all imaginary;
q < 0, 8>
8
-,
rootsimaginary;
q2
< - , rootsreal;
q 0,.rootsimaginary;
A = 0, at leasttwoequal roots;
1 q 2<8s<
=
8=-
q> 0, 8>
8S =
8
q = 0, 8
=
>
4- twopairsofequal realroots;
-i2, rootsreal,threeequal;
0, r $ 0, twoequal realroots twoimaginary;
q2
twoimaginary;
0,twoequalrealroots,
0, twoequal realroots,twoimaginary;
0, fourequal realroots.
oftheroots
is theproductofthesquaresofthedifferences
The discriminant
to
' The deviationofa rayfromits originaldirectionat thestaris obtainedby adding2m/po
to asymptote
the valueofD givenin thetable,and the totaldeviation,1.745"',fromasymptote
is.fwioe the valuei-of TD aiven in the lat twn lint df the tahle.-ErnToRs.
2 CompareL.
ofEquations,1914,p. 45.
Theory
E. Dickson,Elenwntary
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52
[Feb.,
theorem'whichgivesa geometric
of f(x) = 0. We provefirstthe following
interpretation
ofthediscriminant
thatwillbe usedlaterin thediscussion.
The discriminant
of a real quarticequationf(x) = 0 withleadingcoefficient
ofthegraph
oftheturning
points2
unityequals256 timestheproducet
oftheordinates
ofy = f(x).
Denotingby ai or ac the rootsoff(x) = 0, and by ak;' thoseof f'(x) = 0,
we have
fI
(ai
H
i j>i
=
44l i [Ik
(ai -
ak')
11
1 (ai
i j i
= 44
II
fI
k *
aj)
(ak'
=
-
ff'(ai)
i
ai) =
44
]k
f(ak').
+ c1xn-I+
...
+ cn = 0 (c's-real)is
n(n-1)
A=(_
1)
ofturning
points).
n8* (product
ofordinates
2 In thisdiscussion
withhorizontal
tangent
is
weshallunderstand
thata pointofinflection
to be considered
a multiple
turning
point.
I Thisof courseis thesameas addingtheordinates
oftheliney =-rx andthecurve
is to replacetheoriginal
quartic
y = f(x). Theeffect
ofthistransformation
in ourdiscussion
tothegraph
oftheauxiliary
bytheauxiliary
quartic
curvewhiletheliney =-rx initsrelation
in a certain
quartic
sensereplaces
thex-axis.
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1922.]
s-3
8,s-
53
q2).
If q < 0, theseturning
pointsand inflection
pointsare all real and distinct.
The difference
betweenthe ordinateof the middleturningpoint and the
commonordinateoftheothertwois q2/4.
The distancebetweenthe y-intercept
pointof the curveand that of the
inflection
tangents= q2/12.
The y-intercept
oftheinflection
tangentsis s + q/12 = I.
If q = 0, they-intercept
pointofthe curveis a tripleturning
point(double
inflection
point).
If q > 0, thereis onlyone real turningpoint; the inflection
tangentsare
imaginary
andmeetinsidethecurveat thepoint(0, I); and thereis a realdouble
tangenty = s - q2/4,
withconjugateimaginary
pointsofcontact.
formsand
We shall studythe variouscases corresponding
to the different
oftheauxiliary
to thesignofq andthevalueof.9.
positions
quarticcurveaccording
The corollary
of the theoremon discriminants
provedabove maynowbe
different
restatedin a slightly
and moreusefulform,namely:
At leastone and possiblythreereal transformed
turningpointslie aboveor
as A is greater
thanor lessthan0; and at least
belowtheliney = - rx according
lies on thelineif A = 0.
one transformed
turning
point(realwithone exception2)
inmind,an examination
ineachcasewillmake
ofa figure
Bearingthiscorollary
of quartics,equivalentto that givenat the
clear the following
classification
beginningof this paper.
Cae
I.
q < 0,
s> -
s= 4
O<
q2
s < _-
s = 0,
-
12 <s<
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54
S=-
12'
[Feb.,
A = 0, all rootsreal,threeequal;
i < 0, two rootsreal and distinct.
A
s <-
Case II.
q=
0,
8
> 0,
8 = 0,
Case III.
s < 0,
q> O,
0,
roots.
2 The methodofthispaperenablesus also to recognize
theorderofsuccessionofthesimple
and multipleroots. Thus by notingthe doublerootcases in whichthe inflexions
of the transformedquarticbothlie belowthe line y = - rx we findas a necessaryand sufficient
condition
fora doublerootseparatingtwosimplerealrootsA = 0, 8q3+ 27r2< 0.
In the othercases whereall rootsare real and thereis one doubleor tripleroot,thiswill
be the greatestor least rootaccordingas r is positiveor negative.-EDITOR.
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1922.]
55
three
realanddistinct
turning
points,
(0,s), (t4-
1. The classicconstruction
forthe strophoid
uses a pencilofcircleseach of
whichhas its centeron a "medial" lineg and passesthrough
a fixedpoint,the
node0, on g (Fig. 1). Let each circlebe cut by thatoneofitsdiameters
which
passes througha fixedpoint,the singularfocusF. The curveis the locus of
theseintersections.2
The objectofthisnoteis to makethisconstruction
more
generalforthesamecurve: first,
by usinganylinethrough
thenodeas locusfor
the centersof the circles;and second,by usinga pencilof circlesthrough
any
two conjugatepointsof the curve. In preparation
forthiswe describecertain
wellknownfeatures
ofthecurve.3
1 Instead of addingthe ordinatesof the line y =- rx and the curvey = f(x), the author
mighthave startedwiththe curvey = X$+ qx2 + s and regardedtherootsofthegivenquartic
as theabscissasoftheintersections
ofthiscurveand theliney = - rx. The formofthiscurve
dependsonlyon q; its position,or the positionof the originwithrespectto it, dependson s,
whilethecharacteroftherootsoftheequation,whenq and s are given,dependson r. Thusthe
classification,
based firston q, and thenon s, wouldfinalybe based on r.
The rangeofvaluesofr forany typeofequation,whenq and s are given,dependson those
values whichcorrespond
to the real tangentsfromthe origin. These values of r are the roots
oftheequationA = 0, and forany particular
typeofequationA willhave a particular
signor be
zero. Conversely,
thesignor vanishingofA,withthegivenvaluesofq and s, willusuallydetermine the type of the equation. These considerations
would enable us to dispensewiththe
author'stheoremon discriminants.Resultsobtainedas dependingon r could be interpreted
at once as dependingon A, and so whenthe classification
has beenobtained,the variousclasses
couldbe groupedand arrangedwithrespectto A, q and s if such an arrangement
is morecon-'oniont.
fnr
IT.CP-,VTITMINT
2 Gino Loria,Speziellealgebraische
und transcendente
ebeneKurven,volume1,
Leipzig,1910,
is theright
p. 60. The strophoid
ofourtext-books
theformthiscurvetakeswhenthe
strophoid,
nodeis at thefootoftheperpendicular
fromthefocusto themedian.
a Loria,loc.cit.,chapter8.
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