Final answer:
To make x the subject in the equation y + x = ax, subtract y from both sides, factor out x, and divide both sides by (x - 1).
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to make x the subject in the equation y + x = ax, we need to isolate x on one side of the equation. Here are the steps to solve for x:
- Start by subtracting y from both sides of the equation: x = ax - y
- Factor out x on the right side of the equation: x = a(x - 1)
- Divide both sides of the equation by (x - 1) to isolate x: x/(x - 1) = a
After that, we can divide both sides by (a-1) if a ≠ 1 to solve for x, which gives us x = y / (a - 1). This manipulation allows us to see the relationship between the variables where a and b are constant numbers and x is the independent variable, with y being the dependent variable.
For example, in a linear equation like y = 9 + 3x, if we wish to solve for x, we would subtract the constant term from both sides and then divide by the coefficient of x to get x on its own. Similar steps apply when solving for x in the original equation.
So, x = a/(x - 1) is the equation with x as the subject.