Can a 5th degree equation with repeated roots be solved by radicials?

$\begingroup$

I realized that generally a 5th degree equation cannot be solved by radicals, but what if we have a 5th degree equation with repeated roots, how about its solvability by radicals? Intuitively, it would be like an equation with lower degree while those equations can be solved by radicals; specifically, would there be a 4th degree equation sharing the same roots with the 5th equation with a doube root?

$\endgroup$ 1

1 Answer

$\begingroup$

Yes: you can find the repeated factor by applying Euclid's algorithm to the polynomial and its derivative, then divide by this factor to get at worst a quartic.


Indeed, here is an even easier method: a repeated root is also a root of the derivative. The derivative is a quartic. So we can find the roots of the derivative, then check which are also roots of the original polynomial. Dividing $x-a$ where $a$ is a repeated root will yield a quartic with the same roots, while dividing by the gcd of the polynomial and its derivative will give a polynomial that is at worst quartic with no repeated roots.

$\endgroup$ 2

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Sign up using Google Sign up using Facebook Sign up using Email and Password

Post as a guest

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

You Might Also Like