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Can anyone answer this GCSE cubic graph question??

Here is a question from Edexcel GCSE Maths mock exam Jan 2024:

On the grid draw the graph of y=x^3-3x+2 for values of x from -2 to 2

By drawing a suitable straight line on the grid, use your graph to find an estimate for the solution of
2x^3-3x+4=0

Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place

I rearranged equation 2 to give equation 1 on the left hand side, as follows:
x^3-3x+2=-x^3-2

I was expecting this to give a linear equation on the right hand side not a cubic

So plotting the graphs of y=x^3-3x+2 and y=-x^3-2 should give a solution to equation 2

And it does. These two graphs intersect at x=-1.6 which is roughly the solution to equation 2.

But y=-x^3-2 is not a straight line.

Any ideas what straight line they are after??

It’s GCSE so shouldn’t be too complex

Thanks
Reply 1
Original post by Nirwanda
Here is a question from Edexcel GCSE Maths mock exam Jan 2024:

On the grid draw the graph of y=x^3-3x+2 for values of x from -2 to 2

By drawing a suitable straight line on the grid, use your graph to find an estimate for the solution of
2x^3-3x+4=0

Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place

I rearranged equation 2 to give equation 1 on the left hand side, as follows:
x^3-3x+2=-x^3-2

I was expecting this to give a linear equation on the right hand side not a cubic

So plotting the graphs of y=x^3-3x+2 and y=-x^3-2 should give a solution to equation 2

And it does. These two graphs intersect at x=-1.6 which is roughly the solution to equation 2.

But y=-x^3-2 is not a straight line.

Any ideas what straight line they are after??

It’s GCSE so shouldn’t be too complex

Thanks

Id guess youd divide the stated cubic by 2 and add -3x/2 to both sides, so youd be looking for when your graphed cubic intersected with -3x/2.
(edited 2 months ago)
The equation should be rewritten as follow
2x^3-6x+4+3x=0
2x^3-6x+4=-3x
x^3-3x+2=-3/2x
Drawing a line for y=-3/2x and that the interceptions are the answers. I believe this is the answer.

Hope this helps
Anthony
Mathmatics Tutor
Reply 3
Boy do I feel like an idiot :-)

Yes of course that's the way to do it

For some reason I thought the 2x^3 was written in stone and unchangeable

Straight line y=-3x/2 gives intersect at x=-1.6

Thanks so much for your help mqb2766 and Anthony
(edited 2 months ago)
Reply 4
Original post by Nirwanda
Boy do I feel like an idiot :-)

Yes of course that's the way to do it

For some reason I thought the 2x^3 was written in stone and unchangeable

Straight line y=-3x/2 gives intersect at x=-1.6

Thanks so much for your help mqb2766 and Anthony

At the risk of stating the obvious (hindsight), when you have an equation like that
2x^3-3x+4=0
Then algebraic manipulations are all about keeping balance so adding/subtracting the same term on each side or multiplying/dividing each side by the same (or squaring or rooting or ...). The fact that both the cubic and the constant coefficients were double the graphed ones was a strong hint. However, even if the constant coefficient wasnt double, youd want to divide by 2 to make the leading coefficient 1 (a common thing to do) as then youd just have to add a linear+constant correction term (to both sides) to get back to the the graphed cubic.

Its just thinking ahead a couple of steps about what youre going to get without being too bothered about the actual numbers.
(edited 2 months ago)
Reply 5
Yes exactly. Thanks again

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