Question

If the expression 1/2x was placed in the form ax^b where a and b are real numbers, then which of the following is equal to a+b ? Show how you arrived at your answer.

a. 1
b. 1/2
c. 3/2
d. - 1/2

Answer 1

The coefficient a is 1/2, and the exponent b is 1 in the expression 1/2x. Adding these together gives us a + b = 1/2 + 1 = 3/2, which is option c.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the value of a + b when the expression 1/2x is in the form ax^b, we must identify a and b. Here, a is the coefficient and b is the exponent. In the expression 1/2x, the coefficient a is 1/2 (the number in front of the x), and since the x is to the power of 1 (since no power is written, it is implicitly 1), b is 1.

Therefore, to find a + b, we simply add 1/2 and 1, which gives us 3/2 or 1.5 as the answer.

Therefore, the correct option is c. 3/2.