Let y=∣x−3∣. Then the inequality becomes y−12+y+23≤0. To solve this inequality, we find a common denominator:
(y−1)(y+2)2(y+2)+3(y−1)≤0 (y−1)(y+2)2y+4+3y−3≤0 (y−1)(y+2)5y+1≤0 The critical points are y=−51, y=1, and y=−2. Since y=∣x−3∣≥0, we can ignore y=−2. Thus we analyze the sign of the expression (y−1)(y+2)5y+1 for y≥0. If 0≤y<5−1, then 5y+1<0,y−1<0,y+2>0, and (y−1)(y+2)5y+1>0. Impossible. If 5−1≤y<1, then 5y+1≥0,y−1<0,y+2>0, and (y−1)(y+2)5y+1≤0. Thus we have −51≤y<1. Since y≥0, we have 0≤y<1. If y=1, then the first term in the original inequality is undefined. If y>1, then 5y+1>0,y−1>0,y+2>0, and (y−1)(y+2)5y+1>0. Therefore, the only possible solution is 0≤y<1. Substituting y=∣x−3∣, we have 0≤∣x−3∣<1. This gives us −1<x−3<1. Adding 3 to all sides, we get