To solve the equation:
0.5y^3 - 0.5y(y+1)(y-3) = 7
We can start by expanding the terms inside the parentheses:
0.5y^3 - 0.5y(y^2 - 2y - 3) = 7
Simplifying further:
0.5y^3 - 0.5y^3 + y^2 - y - 1.5y = 7
Combine like terms:
y^2 - 1.5y - 7 = 0
Now we have a quadratic equation. We can solve for y by factoring, completing the square, or using the quadratic formula. Let's use the quadratic formula:
y = (-b ± sqrt(b^2 - 4ac)) / (2a)
In our case, a = 1, b = -1.5, and c = -7. Substituting these values into the quadratic formula:
y = (-(-1.5) ± sqrt((-1.5)^2 - 4(1)(-7))) / (2(1))
Simplifying:
y = (1.5 ± sqrt(2.25 + 28)) / 2
y = (1.5 ± sqrt(30.25)) / 2
y = (1.5 ± 5.5) / 2
This gives us two possible solutions:
y1 = (1.5 + 5.5) / 2 = 7 / 2 = 3.5
y2 = (1.5 - 5.5) / 2 = -4 / 2 = -2
So the solutions to the equation are y = 3.5 and y = -2.