Analyzing the Setup
Imagine you are standing before a puzzle that seems to demand brute force. You have two quadratic equations, x2−10cx−11d=0 and x2−10ax−11b=0, and you are told that their roots are (a,b) and (c,d) respectively.
Your mission is to find the sum a+b+c+d. In the world of JEE Advanced, brute force is rarely the intended path; the true path is paved with symmetry.
Phase 1
The Vieta's Insight
We begin by invoking the wisdom of Vieta. For any quadratic equation x2−Bx−C=0, the sum of the roots is simply B.
Applying this to our given equations, we immediately see:
a+b=10c
c+d=10a
Look closely at these two equations. They are mirrors of each other. If we subtract the second from the first, we get (a+b)−(c+d)=10c−10a.
Rearranging this, we find b−d=11(c−a). This is our first major breakthrough, as we have linked the differences of the roots to the coefficients.
Phase 2
The Algebraic Dance
Now, we must use the fact that a and c are roots. By definition, a root must satisfy its equation.
Therefore:
a2−10ca−11d=0
c2−10ac−11b=0
Subtracting these two equations is where the magic happens. The 10ac terms, which look so intimidating, vanish completely!
We are left with
(a2−c2)−11d+11b=0. Rearranging this, we get:
(a2−c2)+11(b−d)=0
Phase 3
The Grand Finale
We are almost there. We know that a2−c2 is (a−c)(a+c). We also know from our earlier work that b−d=11(c−a), which is −11(a−c).
Substituting these into our equation, we get:
(a−c)(a+c)+11[−11(a−c)]=0
This simplifies to (a−c)(a+c−121)=0. Since the problem explicitly states that $a
eq c$, we can safely divide by (a−c) to conclude that a+c=121.
Finally, to find the total sum
a+b+c+d, we simply add our two Vieta equations:
(a+b)+(c+d)=10c+10a=10(a+c)
Substituting our value of 121, we get 10×121=1210. The complexity dissolves, leaving behind the final result of 1210.