Advanced MathVery hardCounting real fourth roots
Advanced Math practice question
For how many real values of x is x⁴ equal to 16?
Answer: 2
x⁴ = 16 means x² = 4 (x² = −4 has no real solutions), so x = 2 or x = −2. Two real values.
Common wrong answers
- If you answered 0
- 2⁴ = 16, so there are certainly real solutions.
- If you answered 1
- 1 misses the negative root: (−2)⁴ = 16 as well.
- If you answered 4
- 4 counts the complex solutions too (±2 and ±2i); only two are real.
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