Comprehension

Direction : Consider the following for the items that follow :  

The roots of the quadratic equation 

a2(b2 - c2)x2 + b2(c2 - a2)x + c2(a2 - b2) = 0 are equal (a2 ≠ b2 ≠ c2).

Which one of the following statements is correct? 

This question was previously asked in
NDA-II 2024 (Maths) Official Paper (Held On: 01 Sept, 2024)
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  1. a2, b2, c2 are in AP.
  2. a2, b2, c2​ are in GP.
  3. a2, b2, c2​ are in HP.
  4. a2, b2, c2​ are neither in AP nor in GP nor in HP. 

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 3 : a2, b2, c2​ are in HP.
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Detailed Solution

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Explanation:

Given:

 ⇒ a2 (b2 – c 2 ) x2 + b 2 (c 2 – a 2 ) x + c 2 (a 2 – b 2 ) = 0...(i)

Now  Equation has equal roots:

Then D =0

⇒ [b2 (c 2 – a2 )]2 – 4a 2 c 2 (b 2 – c 2 ) (a 2 – b 2 ) = 0

⇒  b4 (c 2 – a 2 )2 – 4a 2 c 2 (b 2 – c 2 ) (a 2 – b 2 ) = 0

Solving above equation, we get 

⇒  b4 (c2 + a2 )2 = 4a 4 c

⇒ b 2 (a 2 + c 2 ) = 2a 2 c 2

⇒ \(\frac{2}{b^2} = \frac{1}{a^2}+ \frac{1}{c^2}\)

⇒ a2 , b 2 and c 2 are in HP

∴ Option (c) is correct.

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