16Hit1600
Advanced MathMediumPositive solution of a cubic with a common factor

Advanced Math practice question

If x³ = 4x and x > 0, what is the value of x?

Answer: 2

x³ − 4x = 0 → x(x² − 4) = 0 → x = 0, 2, or −2. The positive solution is 2.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 0
0 is a solution, but not positive.
If you answered 4
4 comes from dividing both sides by x² instead of x.
If you answered -2
−2 is a solution, but not positive.

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