Understand Domain of Square Root Function: Understand the domain of a square root function. The domain of a square root function y=f(x) includes all values of x for which the expression inside the square root, f(x), is greater than or equal to 0, because the square root of a negative number is not a real number.
Set Inequality for Square Root: Set the inside of the square root greater than or equal to zero.We need to find the values of x for which x2+5x−6 is greater than or equal to zero. So we set up the inequality:x2+5x−6≥0
Factor Quadratic Expression: Factor the quadratic expression.To solve the inequality, we first factor the quadratic expression x2+5x−6. This factors into (x+6)(x−1).So the inequality becomes:(x+6)(x−1)≥0
Find Critical Points: Find the critical points of the inequality.The critical points are the values of x where the expression equals zero. We set each factor equal to zero and solve for x:x+6=0⇒x=−6x−1=0⇒x=1These are the points where the expression inside the square root changes sign.
Determine Intervals to Test: Determine the intervals to test.We now have three intervals to test based on the critical points: (−∞,−6), (−6,1), and (1,∞). We will test a value from each interval to see if the expression inside the square root is positive or negative in that interval.
Test Intervals: Test the intervals.For the interval (−∞,−6), we can test x=−7:(−7+6)(−7−1)=(−1)(−8)=8, which is positive.For the interval (−6,1), we can test x=0:(0+6)(0−1)=(6)(−1)=−6, which is negative.For the interval (1,∞), we can test x=2:(2+6)(2−1)=(8)(1)=8, which is positive.So the expression inside the square root is positive in the intervals (−∞,−6) and (1,∞).
Write Domain of Function: Write the domain of the function.The domain of the function y=x2+5x−6 is the union of the intervals where the expression inside the square root is non-negative. Therefore, the domain is:(−∞,−6]∪[1,∞)
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