Lesson GRAPHING AN EQUATION TO ASSIST IN SOLVING FOR THE REAL ROOTS OF THAT EQUATION

this lesson shows how graphing an equation can assist in the solving for the real roots of that equation.

you are presented with the equation to be solved.
you graph the equation to be solved.
you use the graphing software to determine the approximate locations of the zeroes of that function.
the zeroes of that function are the places in the graph where the graph crosses the x-axis.
these are the real roots of that equation.
they are the value of x when y equals 0.

the graphing solution assists in the finding of the real roots of the equation.
if the graphing software is sophisticated enough, it can also find the real roots of the equation without any further work on your part.

i use the TI-84 calculator which provides a graphing function and allows you to find the real roots of the equation as well.

other graphing software might be able to just show you where the potential solutions lie and it is then up to you to find the exact solution through other means.

obviously, it's best to use a graphing tool or software that allows you to find the exact value of the roots based on the capabilities of the tool or software.

the following example of using graphing capabilities to help narrow down the solution, and to even find the solution is based on a problem that that i solved earlier on algebra.com.

the link to that solution, plus a bonus solution regarding logarithms can be found at the following link.

http://www.algebra.com/algebra/homework/equations/Equations.faq.question.570826.html