TITLE: Value of $(3\beta^2-4\beta)^{\frac{1}{3}}+(3\beta^2+4\beta+2)^{\frac{1}{3}}$ if $\beta$ is the root of $x^3-x-1=0$
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: If $\beta$ is the root of the equation $x^3-x-1=0$, find the value of
  $$(3\beta^2-4\beta)^{\frac{1}{3}}+(3\beta^2+4\beta+2)^{\frac{1}{3}}.$$ 

This is what I tried:
$x=\beta$ is a root of $x^3-x-1=0,$
so getting $\displaystyle \beta^3-\beta-1=0\Rightarrow \beta^2=\frac{\beta+1}{\beta}.$
Now $$3\beta^2-4\beta = 3\bigg(\frac{\beta+1}{\beta}\bigg)-4\beta.$$
Don't know how to continue.

REPLY [6 votes]: The trick is that if we reduce $(x + a)^3$ modulo $x^3 - x - 1$, we'll get $3 a x^2 + (3 a^2 + 1) x + (a^3 + 1)$. Therefore, if $\beta$ is a root of $x^3 - x - 1$,
$$(1 + \beta)^3 = 3 \beta^2 + 4 \beta + 2, \\
(1 - \beta)^3 = 3 \beta^2 - 4 \beta.$$
Then we need to define the cube root in such a way that $(z^3)^{1/3} = z$ for $z = 1 \pm \beta$.