Question

Solve for the roots in the equation below. x4 + 3x2 - 4 = 0

Answer 1

First, you need to rewrite the expression into binomial form, so you are working with two terms (as you world with a quadratic):
(x²)²-3(x²)-4=0
Now, you can place the x²s into brackets as the coefficient is now 1:
(x²  )(x²  )
Next, find out two numbers that add together to give you -3 and multiply to give -4 (these are the leftover integers after removing the x²s). These two numbers are -4 and 1.
Place the -4 and 1 into the brackets:
(x²-4)(x²+1)=0
Notice that the x²-4 is a difference of two squares, so can be further factorised into (x+2)(x-2)
This leaves you with a final factorisation of:
(x+2)(x-2)(x²+1)=0
Now we handle each bracket individually to obtain our four solutions for x:
x+2=0
x=-2
x-2=0
x=2
x²+1=0
x²=1
x=±1