## How an exact solution can sometimes be found, without using the general solution.

One of the facts which I’ve been writing about is, that the general solution to a polynomial of a degree higher than (4), that is expected to produce Algebraically exact results, cannot be used because none exists. At the same time, I make a distinction between an exact solution, and the general solution. This distinction can also be explained in greater detail…

We are sometimes given a polynomial, which has at least one “rational root”, meaning a root that can be stated either as a whole number, which is actually referred to as an “integer”, or as a fraction. The following is an example:

x^3 -3*x^2 -2*x + 6 = 0

In this case it can be observed, that the coefficient of (x^3), which is not stated, corresponds to a (1), and that the constant term, which is visible as (+6), is an integer. What can be done here, is that all the factors of (6) can be used positively and negatively – not only the prime factors – and plugged in to see whether they do in fact constitute one root. Again, they do if and only if the equation is satisfied as resulting in zero.

Thus, as potential candidates, ±1, ±2, ±3, ±6 can all be tried.

(Updated 3/2/2019, 16h30 … )