Advanced MathVery hardProduct of x-coordinates of intersections
Advanced Math practice question
In the xy-plane, the circle x² + y² = 25 and the line y = x + 1 intersect at two points. What is the product of the x-coordinates of those two points?
Answer: -12
Substituting: x² + (x + 1)² = 25, so 2x² + 2x − 24 = 0 and x² + x − 12 = 0. The product of the roots is −12 (the roots are 3 and −4).
Common wrong answers
- If you answered 12
- 12 has the wrong sign; one x-coordinate is negative.
- If you answered -1
- −1 is the sum of the roots, not the product.
- If you answered -24
- −24 is the constant before dividing the equation by 2.
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