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What is the extraneous solution?

What is the extraneous solution?-example-1
User Belphegor
by
8.7k points

1 Answer

1 vote

Answer:

x = 1

Explanation:

The only solution is an extraneous solution, which is to say the equation has no solution.

The rational expression reduces to -1 (for x≠1), which makes the equation ...

1 = 1/x

The only solution to this is x=1, which is specifically disallowed.

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If you subtract the right side, the equation becomes ...

((-x+1)(x) +2(x)(x -1) -(x -1))/(x -1) = 0

(-x^2 +x +2x^2 -2x -x +1)/(x -1) = 0 . . . . eliminate parentheses in the numerator

(x^2 -2x +1)/(x -1) = 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . collect terms

(x -1)^2/(x -1) = 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . factor

This is undefined for the only value of x that could possibly be a solution, x=1.

User Altareos
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8.0k points