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Re: Roots selection

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg43013] Re: Roots selection
  • From: Paul Abbott <paul at physics.uwa.edu.au>
  • Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2003 00:26:27 -0400 (EDT)
  • Organization: The University of Western Australia
  • References: <bgqa9u$dae$1@smc.vnet.net>
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

In article <bgqa9u$dae$1 at smc.vnet.net>, akhmel at hotmail.com (Alex) 
wrote:

> I am solving a cubic equation and I got 3 roots. How can select root
> number 2 for processing?

Using Cardano's formula for the roots of a cubic is usually a waste of 
time; working with Root objects is more valuable.

   SetOptions[Roots, Cubics -> False, Quartics -> False];

Then you can select root 2 as suggested by others,

   x /. Solve[x^3 + b x^2 + c x + d == 0, x][[2]]

and work with this object. For example, 

   D[%, b] // FullSimplify

gives a simple analytic expression for this derivative.

Cheers,
Paul

-- 
Paul Abbott                                   Phone: +61 8 9380 2734
School of Physics, M013                         Fax: +61 8 9380 1014
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