Electronic Proceedings of the Twenty-fourth Annual International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics

Orlando, Florida, March 22-25, 2012

Paper C036

This is an electronic reprint, reproduced by permission of Pearson Education Inc. Originally appeared in the Proceedings of the Twenty-fourth Annual International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics, ISBN 0-321-869699, Copyright (C) 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc.


On the Casus Irreducibilis of Solving the Cubic Equation

Jay Villanueva


Florida Memorial University

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ABSTRACT

We often encounter the cubic equation. Its roots can be found using Cardan's formula. The curious fact is that when all roots are real and the cubic polynomial is irreducible, the real roots are expressed in terms of radicals of complex quantities. This case is discussed and examples provided.

Keyword(s): real analysis