Course 311: 200102.

Supplementary Notes
The Resolvent Cubic of a Quartic Polynomial
Let , , and be the roots of the quartic polynomial
x4 px2 qx r,
so that
(x )(x )(x )(x ) = x4 px2 qx r.
Equating coefficients of x, we find that
+ + + = 0,
and
p = ( + + + + + ),
q = + + + ,
r = .
Let
= ( + )( + ) = ( + )2 = ( + )2 ,
= ( + )( + ) = ( + )2 = ( + )2 ,
= ( + )( + ) = ( + )2 = ( + )2 .
We wish to express + + , + + and in terms of p, q and r.
To do this we eliminate from the above expressions using the identity
+ + + = 0. We find
p =
=
q =
=
r =

( + + )( + + )
2 + 2 + 2 + + + ,
( + + )( + + )
( 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 ) 2,
2 + 2 + 2 .

Then


+ + = ( + )2 + ( + )2 + ( + )2


= 2 2 + 2 + 2 + + +
= 2p,
1

2 + 2 + 2 = ( + )4 + ( + )4 + ( + )4
= 4 + 4 3 + 6 2 2 + 4 3 + 4
+ 4 + 4 3 + 6 2 2 + 4 3 + 4
+ 4 + 4 3 + 6 2 2 + 4 3 + 4
= 2( 4 + 4 + 4 ) + 4( 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 )
+ 6( 2 2 + 2 2 + 2 2 ),
p2 = 4 + 4 + 4 + 3( 2 2 + 2 2 + 2 2 )
+ 4( 2 + 2 + 2 )
+ 2( 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 ).
Therefore
2 + 2 + 2 = 2p2 8( 2 + 2 + 2 )
= 2p2 8r.
But
4p2 = ( + + )2 = 2 + 2 + 2 + 2( + + )
Therefore
+ + = 2p2 21 (2 + 2 + 2 )
= p2 + 4r.
Finally, we note that
2

= ( + )( + )( + ) .
Now
( + )( + )( + ) = 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2
= q.
Therefore
= (q)2 = q 2 .
Thus , and are the roots of the resolvent cubic
x3 + 2px2 + (p2 + 4r)x + q 2 .