Last visit was: 22 Apr 2026, 05:02 It is currently 22 Apr 2026, 05:02
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
kiran120680
User avatar
Moderator - Masters Forum
Joined: 18 Feb 2019
Last visit: 27 Jul 2022
Posts: 706
Own Kudos:
2,715
 [1]
Given Kudos: 276
Location: India
GMAT 1: 460 Q42 V13
GPA: 3.6
GMAT 1: 460 Q42 V13
Posts: 706
Kudos: 2,715
 [1]
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
globaldesi
Joined: 28 Jul 2016
Last visit: 23 Feb 2026
Posts: 1,141
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 67
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Human Resources
Schools: ISB '18 (D)
GPA: 3.97
WE:Project Management (Finance: Investment Banking)
Products:
Schools: ISB '18 (D)
Posts: 1,141
Kudos: 1,998
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
arindamsarkar1988
Joined: 24 Oct 2018
Last visit: 21 Oct 2025
Posts: 4
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 7
Location: India
Schools: ISB '21 (S)
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V37
Schools: ISB '21 (S)
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V37
Posts: 4
Kudos: 1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
arorni
Joined: 27 Oct 2017
Last visit: 08 Oct 2020
Posts: 55
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 69
Posts: 55
Kudos: 20
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Can someone please explain it in detail?

Posted from my mobile device
User avatar
globaldesi
Joined: 28 Jul 2016
Last visit: 23 Feb 2026
Posts: 1,141
Own Kudos:
1,998
 [1]
Given Kudos: 67
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Human Resources
Schools: ISB '18 (D)
GPA: 3.97
WE:Project Management (Finance: Investment Banking)
Products:
Schools: ISB '18 (D)
Posts: 1,141
Kudos: 1,998
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
arorni
Can someone please explain it in detail?

Posted from my mobile device

Let me try
\(f(x^2) = x^4–6x^2+5\), which of the following must be true?

Lets factor the given equation first
\(x^4–6x^2+5\) = \((x^2-5)(x^2-1)\)

A.\(f(x^2)=f(1+x^2)\)
B.\(f(x^2)=f(2-x^2)\)
C. \(f(x^2)=f(3-x^2)\)
D. \(f(x^2)=f(5-x^2)\)
E. \(f(x^2)=f(6-x^2)\)

Now for each options put the given values of f(n) instead of f(x^2) in the factor
\((x^2-5)(x^2-1)\)
Such that for example if you put
\((1+x^2)\) instead of \(x^2\) in the function value \((x^2-5)(x^2-1)\) . It will become
=\((1+x^2-5)(1+x^2-1)\)=\((+x^2-4)(x^2)\). This is not equal to original expression.

You will find only E fits in substitute\((6-x^2)\) in place of\(x^2\)

\((x^2-5)(x^2-1) = (6-x^2-5)(6-x^2 -1)= (x^2-1)(x^2-5)\).
This is equal to original expression. Hence (E)
User avatar
theropesnyc
Joined: 07 Apr 2019
Last visit: 13 Nov 2021
Posts: 3
Own Kudos:
2
 [1]
Given Kudos: 1
Posts: 3
Kudos: 2
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
kiran120680
If f(x^2) = x^4–6x^2+5, which of the following must be true?

A. f(x^2)=f(1+x^2)
B. f(x^2)=f(2-x^2)
C. f(x^2)=f(3-x^2)
D. f(x^2)=f(5-x^2)
E. f(x^2)=f(6-x^2)
arorni
Can someone please explain it in detail?
You can reduce the difficulty of the question once you realize that the function is quadratic and not of 4th degree.

Setting \(z = x^2\), one can see that the function \(f\) itself is \(f(z) = z^2 -6z +5\), and the question is: "For which \(\beta\) is \(f(\beta -z) = f(z)\) true for all \(z \geq 0\)?" (modify it for answer choice A). In particular, the relation is true for \(z = 0\) which boils down to \(f(\beta) = f(0)\) or \(\beta^2 -6\beta +5 = 5\), and therefore \(\beta = 6\).

In practice, you simply calculate \(f(1), f(2), f(3), f(5)\), and \(f(6)\) and look which one returns the value 5.

Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Problem Solving (PS) Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block above for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
Moderator:
Math Expert
109740 posts