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How do i solve this?

How do i solve this?-example-1
User TomNorway
by
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1 Answer

6 votes

Answer:

x = 5

Explanation:

The corresponding segments are proportional, so you can write any of several equations relating the different segment lengths. Here's one way:

top segment/bottom segment = x/(x+5) = (x-2)/(x+1)

Multiply by the product of denominators:

(x +1)x = (x +5)(x -2)

x² +x = x² +3x -10 . . . . . eliminate parentheses

10 = 2x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . add 10 -x -x² to both sides of the equation

5 = x . . . . . divide by 2

User Gonzalo Dambra
by
6.3k points