How do you solve (x)/(2x+7)=(x-5)/(x-1)x2x+7=x5x1?

1 Answer
Jun 17, 2017

x=-5x=5 or x=7x=7

Explanation:

Note : when you multiply something with a fraction, you multiply to the numerator.

First, let's simplify the LHS by multiplying (x-5)/(x-1)x5x1 with 2x+72x+7

(x-5*2x+7)/(x-1)x52x+7x1

(2x^2-10x+7x-35)/(x-1)2x210x+7x35x1

So we have

x=(2x^2-3x-35)/(x-1)x=2x23x35x1

Then let's simplify the RHS by multiplying xx with x-1x1.

x/1=(2x^2-3x-35)/(x-1)x1=2x23x35x1 since x=x/1x=x1,

Then

x*x-1=2x^2-3x-35xx1=2x23x35

Then x^2-x=2x^2-3x-35x2x=2x23x35

0=x^2-2x-350=x22x35

What we just did here is called cross multiplying.

Now, we have a quadratic equation.
We can factorise this to

(x+5)(x-7) =0(x+5)(x7)=0

Set each factor equal to 00, since if either (x+5)(x+5) or (x-7)(x7) was 0, the equation would hold, because 00 multiplied by any number will always be 0.

x+5=0x+5=0
x=-5x=5

x-7=0x7=0
x=7x=7

These are our two answers