Analyzing the Setup
Imagine you are standing in front of a graph. You have a quadratic expression, x2+2ax+10−3a, and you are told that for every single real value of x, this expression is strictly greater than zero.
Since the coefficient of x2 is 1, which is positive, we know we are dealing with an upward-opening parabola. If this parabola is always positive, it means it never dips below the x-axis. It is, quite literally, a floating parabola.
The Gatekeeper
The Discriminant
For this parabola to stay completely above the x-axis, it cannot have any real roots. If it had real roots, it would cross the x-axis, and at those points, the expression would be zero or negative.
Algebraically, the condition for a quadratic Ax2+Bx+C>0 to hold for all x is twofold: first, A>0 (which is already satisfied here), and second, the discriminant D must be strictly less than zero. This is our gatekeeper.
The Algebraic Grind
Now, let us get our hands dirty with the algebra. We identify our coefficients: A=1, B=2a, and C=10−3a.
Substituting these into our discriminant formula, we get:
(2a)2−4(1)(10−3a)<0
Expanding this, we have
4a2−4(10−3a)<0, which simplifies to
4a2−40+12a<0. Rearranging the terms, we arrive at:
4a2+12a−40<0
Notice how all these terms are multiples of
4? We can divide the entire inequality by
4 without changing the inequality sign, leaving us with:
a2+3a−10<0
The Final Verdict
The Wavy Curve
We are almost there. We need to factorize a2+3a−10<0. We look for two numbers that multiply to −10 and add to 3. Those numbers are 5 and −2.
So, the inequality becomes:
(a+5)(a−2)<0
To solve this, we use the wavy curve method. The critical points are a=−5 and a=2. These points divide the number line into three regions.
Testing the regions, we find that the expression is negative only between the roots. Thus, the valid interval for
a is:
−5<a<2
You have successfully navigated the constraints of the quadratic and found the hidden interval. Keep this logic in your toolkit; it is the key to mastering many such problems in your JEE journey.