All students learn the quadratic formula for finding the roots of a quadratic
equation. The cubic formula for solving cubic polynomials is seldom used, even though it
has been known since the 1545 when Girolamo Cardano published his Ars Magna [2].
This cubic formula, like the quadratic formula, gives the exact answer in closed form.
Fifty years ago, when this author was a schoolboy, algebra text books frequently included
a detailed discussion of the cubic formula. Precalculus texts of today rarely consider the
subject. Why? Because the cubic formula, unlike the quadratic formula, frequently
involves awkward cube roots of complex numbers. Besides, excellent numerical methods
are available, such as Newton’s iterative method, which converge very rapidly to
approximations with many accurate digits. However, there are cases where the exact
closed form answer is appealing, and where the effort involved in using the cubic formula
is not overwhelming.
It is the purpose of this
All students learn the quadratic formula for finding the roots of a quadraticequation. The cubic formula for solving cubic polynomials is seldom used, even though ithas been known since the 1545 when Girolamo Cardano published his Ars Magna [2].This cubic formula, like the quadratic formula, gives the exact answer in closed form.Fifty years ago, when this author was a schoolboy, algebra text books frequently includeda detailed discussion of the cubic formula. Precalculus texts of today rarely consider thesubject. Why? Because the cubic formula, unlike the quadratic formula, frequentlyinvolves awkward cube roots of complex numbers. Besides, excellent numerical methodsare available, such as Newton’s iterative method, which converge very rapidly toapproximations with many accurate digits. However, there are cases where the exactclosed form answer is appealing, and where the effort involved in using the cubic formulais not overwhelming.It is the purpose of this
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..