How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?
Explanation
Answer: C. Exactly two
Explanation:1. Analyze the given equation: The equation is . This is a quadratic equation.
-
Solve for : Add to both sides of the equation:
-
Solve for x by taking the square root of both sides: When taking the square root to solve an equation of the form (where ), there are two real solutions: and .
-
Identify the distinct real solutions: The two distinct real solutions are and .
-
Determine the number of distinct real solutions: There are exactly two distinct real solutions.
-
Alternative method using the discriminant: For a quadratic equation , the discriminant is . - If , there are two distinct real solutions. - If , there is exactly one real solution (a repeated root). - If , there are no real solutions (two complex conjugate solutions). The given equation is . So, , , . Since , there are exactly two distinct real solutions.
-
Check the solution with the options: Option [C] states "Exactly two", which matches our finding.
-
Conclusion: The given equation has exactly two distinct real solutions.