<s>[INST] How to prove that $(-18+\sqrt{325})^{\frac{1}{3}}+(-18-\sqrt{325})^{\frac{1}{3}} = 3$ How to prove that $\left(-18+\sqrt{325}\right)^{\frac{1}{3}}+\left(-18-\sqrt{325}\right)^{\frac{1}{3}} = 3$ in a direct way ?
I have found one indirect way to do so: Define $t=\left(-18+\sqrt{325}\right)^{\frac{1}{3}}+\left(-18-\sqrt{325}\right)^{\frac{1}{3}}$, and then observe $t$ is a root of $f(x) = x^3 + 3x - 36 = 0$. Also observe that $f(3) = 0$. Now $f(x)$ has only one real root, since $f'(x) = x^2+3$ has no real solution. So $t =3$, as desired. 
But I couldn't find any direct/algebraic way of fiddling it for a while. I guess morever this is true:  $\left(-\frac{t(t^2+3)}{2}+\sqrt{\left[\frac{t(t^2+3)}{2}\right]^2 + 1}\right)^{\frac{1}{3}}+\left(-\frac{t(t^2+3)}{2}-\sqrt{\left[\frac{t(t^2+3)}{2}\right]^2 + 1}\right)^{\frac{1}{3}} = t$, which can possibly be proved in the same indirect way but I don't know how to prove this by direct manipulation. 
One way maybe is to write $z_+ = \left(-\frac{t(t^2+3)}{2}+\sqrt{\left[\frac{t(t^2+3)}{2}\right]^2 + 1}\right)^{\frac{1}{3}}$, $z_- = \left(-\frac{t(t^2+3)}{2}-\sqrt{\left[\frac{t(t^2+3)}{2}\right]^2 + 1}\right)^{\frac{1}{3}}$, and writing $t = z_+ + z_-$, observe $z_+z_- = -1$, so $(x-z_+)(x-z_-) = x^2 - tx -1$, and then with Fundamental Theorem of Symmetric Polynomials, maybe calculating $(z_+^3 - z_-^3)^2$ and $(z_+^3 + z_-^3)$ in terms of $t$ would help ? 
 [/INST] Let first root be $A$ and second be $B$, then we need to find the value of $A + B = x$


*

*$A^3 + B^3 = -36$

*$AB = -1$
Expand the cube: $A^3 + B^3 = (A+B)*(A^2 - AB + B^2) = (A+B)*((A+B)^2-3AB) = x*(x^2+3) = x^3 + 3x = -36$.
Easy guess $x = -3$

Another approach: assume that you have a cube under the root, then, say, you take the right equation where you factor the minus out:
$18 + 5\sqrt{13} = (a+b\sqrt{13})^3$
Then you gotta solve the system of equations made from matching the summands with the $\sqrt{13}$ and without:


*

*$a^3 + 39ab^2 = 18$

*$3a^2b + 13b^3 = 5$
Wolfram yields $a = 1.5$ and $b = 0.5$, by hand calculations led me nowhere
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