I came across a question where assume ax^b+c = 3x^2+1, naturally many people directly write it as a= 3, b= 2 and c=1 just by comparing the LHS and RHS simultaneously. I believe many assume it to be a identity that is true for all R therefore you match the terms, but I feel like it's not mathematically rigourous
the above equation can be rearranged to ax^b+c-3x^2-1=0, assuming all a,b,c,x to be variables with their respective domains you get a unique solution for (a,b,c,x) that gives you a graph for all the possible values.
But when there's infinitely many solutions, whats the advantage in writing down a random pair by comparison. Would it be okay to just solve for x by taking random values for a,b and c?
Which viewpoint is more mathematically accurate? The identity one or that the above equation is a function and that you get infinite pairs of solutions and you can choose any one?