SOLUTION: What is answer to (x-5)^(2/3)=9 With 2/3 being a fractional exponent.

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Question 886150: What is answer to (x-5)^(2/3)=9 With 2/3 being a fractional exponent.
Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
BIG difference.
x = -22 and 32 are your solutions.
here's why:

(x-5)^(2/3)= 9 is the original equation.

(x-5)^(2/3) is the same as ((x-5)^2)^(1/3)

your equation becomes:

((x-5)^2)^(1/3) = 9

you want to get rid of the cube root, so you cube both sides of the equation.

you get:

(((x-5)^2)^(1/3))^3 = 9^3

simplify this and you get:

(x-5)^2 = 9^3 which becomes (x-5)^2 = 729

simplify (x-5)^2 by expanding it and you get:

x^2 - 10x + 25 = 729

subtract 25 from both sides of the equation to get:

x^2 - 10x - 704 = 0

factor this to get:

(x+22) * (x-32) = 0

solve for x to get the possible solutions of:
x = -22 or x = 32

confirm your solutions are good by replacing x in the oridinal equations to see if the equations hold true.
this step is necessary since there are problems where the possible solutions are not feasible.

the original equation is:

(x-5)^(2/3)= 9

replace x with -22 and you get:

(-22-5)^(2/3) = 9 which becomes (-27)^(2/3) = 9

(-27)^(2/3) is equivalent to either:

(-27)^2 = 729 and the cube root of 729 is eqjual to 3.
alternatively:
cube root of (-27) = (-3) and (-3)^2 = 9

replace x with 32 and you get:

((32-5)^(2/3) = 9 which becomes ((27)^(2/3) = 9

27 squared = 729 and the cube root of 729 is equal to 9
alternatively:
cube root of 27 = 3 and 3 squared = 9.

looks like both solutions are good.

i graphed the equation of y = (x-5)^(2/3) and the equation of y = 9 to confirm graphically that this is true.
in the graph, you can see the intersection points of the 2 equations are at x = -22 and x = 32.
that confirms the solution is correct graphically.

the graph is shown below:

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