Question

If a-2/a = 5, what is the value of a? a) 2 b) 3 c) 4 d) 5

Answer 1

If a-2/a = 5, the value of a is C. 4.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve the equation a-2/a = 5 and find the value of a, we can start by multiplying both sides of the equation by a to eliminate the fraction.

This gives us a(a-2/a) = 5a. Simplifying further, we get a^2 - 2 = 5a.

Now, we can move all the terms to one side of the equation to get a quadratic equation: a^2 - 5a - 2 = 0.

Using factoring, the quadratic equation can be factored as (a - 4)(a + 1) = 0.

Thus, the possible values for a are a = 4 and a = -1.

However, since a negative value for a would result in a fraction in the initial equation, we can conclude that the value of a is 4.

Therefore the correct answer is C. 4.