Explanation
Correct answer: 50.
An equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has no real solutions if and only if its discriminant, , is negative. Applying the distributive property to the left-hand side of the equation yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields . Substituting for , for , and for in yields a discriminant of , or . If the given equation has no real solution, it follows that the value of must be negative. Therefore, . Adding to both sides of this inequality yields . Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields , or . Since it's given that is an integer, the least possible value of is .
Desmos solution:
Note: The regression finds the discriminant boundary k=49; no real solutions require a negative discriminant, so use the next integer, 50.
Enter in Desmos:
Reviewed and rewritten by CookSAT
Student discussion
coolgamer420069 1 likes
how do u do this on desmos easily
julian279 1 likes
you get mx^2 - 48x +18 then you change the m value until the parabola goes above the x-axis that m value ends up being 33
marcosat 0 likes
Find the condition using the discriminant. There's a trick though (If it can be classified as one). The final condition 49 < k may trip people up, k has to be at least 50. It also says that k is an integer. So it makes sense.
rpn 0 likes