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Roots

Expert replies
Source: — Problem Solving |

by Anurag@Gurome » Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:02 am
satyavegi wrote:Q)How many roots does the equation 2^x=x-1 have?
Probably the easiest and least time consuming method to solve this problem is to apply the concept of graphs. The concept is : the number of solutions or roots of the equation f(x) = g(x) are the number of points at which the graphs of f(x) and g(x) intersects each other. (f(x) and g(x) are functions of x)

In this case, let us assume f(x) = 2^x and g(x) = (x - 1)
Now their graphs will be as shown in the following figure,
Image
As they do not intersect at any point, there is no solution or roots of the equation 2^x = x - 1.

The correct answer is A.
Anurag Mairal, Ph.D., MBA
GMAT Expert, Admissions and Career Guidance
Gurome, Inc.
1-800-566-4043 (USA)

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