Source: Extra Practice

Solve the logarithmic inequality: log0.5(x25x+6)1\log_{0.5} (x^2 - 5x + 6) \ge -1.

Options

Option A is correct

x[1,2)(3,4]x \in [1, 2) \cup (3, 4]

Option B

x[1,4]x \in [1, 4]

Option C

x(2,3)x \in (2, 3)

Option D

x(,2)(3,)x \in (-\infty, 2) \cup (3, \infty)

Explanation

To solve log0.5(x25x+6)1\log_{0.5} (x^2 - 5x + 6) \ge -1, we must follow two conditions:

  1. Domain Condition: The argument of the logarithm must be positive: x25x+6>0    (x2)(x3)>0    x3x^2 - 5x + 6 > 0 \implies (x-2)(x-3) > 0 \implies x 3.

  2. Inequality Solving: Since the base of the logarithm (0.50.5) is less than 11, the direction of the inequality reverses when removing the logarithm: x25x+6(0.5)1x^2 - 5x + 6 \le (0.5)^{-1} x25x+62x^2 - 5x + 6 \le 2 x25x+40    (x1)(x4)0    1x4x^2 - 5x + 4 \le 0 \implies (x-1)(x-4) \le 0 \implies 1 \le x \le 4.

Now, we find the intersection of these two sets of conditions:

  • Condition 1: x(,2)(3,)x \in (-\infty, 2) \cup (3, \infty)
  • Condition 2: x[1,4]x \in [1, 4]

The intersection is x[1,2)(3,4]x \in [1, 2) \cup (3, 4]. Option B is incorrect because it includes the interval [2,3][2, 3] where the logarithm's argument is non-positive.