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What is wrong with the following equation?

x² + x- 12/x-3= x + 4
a-(x - 3)(x + 4)x² + x - 12
b-The left-hand side is not defined for x =0, but the right-hand side is.
c-The left-hand side is not defined for x = 3, but the right-hand side is.
d-None of these - the equation is correct.

User Demeteor
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1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The equation x² + x - 12/(x-3) = x + 4 is incorrect because the left-hand side is undefined at x = 3 due to division by zero, while the right-hand side remains defined, leading to a discrepancy. The correct answer is option c.

Step-by-step explanation:

The equation in question is x² + x - 12/(x-3) = x + 4. Something is indeed wrong with this equation, as the left-hand side (LHS) of the equation includes the term 12/(x-3), which means the LHS is undefined when x = 3, because division by zero is undefined in mathematics.

However, the right-hand side (RHS) of the equation is defined when x = 3. Therefore, the correct answer to what is wrong with the equation is (c) The left-hand side is not defined for x = 3, but the right-hand side is. This means at x = 3, there is a discrepancy between both sides of the equation that needs to be considered when solving.

User Bourne
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