A Simple Trigonometric Classification of Quintic Roots

Abstract

This article provides a simple trigonometric method for determining how many roots of a quintic equation are real and how many are complex, without solving the equation. The approach transforms a depressed quintic $t^5 + mt^3 + nt^2 + pt + q = 0$ with $m < 0$ into the trigonometric equation $f(\theta) = \alpha\cos^2\!\theta + \beta\cos\theta + \cos 5\theta + \gamma = 0$ via the Chebyshev identity $16\cos^5\!\theta - 20\cos^3\!\theta + 5\cos\theta = \cos 5\theta$. The derivation is computationally light and conceptually natural, extending the quartic case to fifth-degree equations. As the Abel--Ruffini theorem forbids a general algebraic solution for the quintic, having a simple trigonometric criterion for the nature of its roots is especially appealing.