Advanced Math practice question

Answer: 2

x + 1/x = 5/2 gives 2x² − 5x + 2 = 0, so (2x − 1)(x − 2) = 0 and x = 2 or 1/2. The number greater than 1 is 2.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 5

5 uses 5 as the number and forgets the reciprocal.

If you answered 1/2

1/2 is the other root, which is less than 1.

If you answered 5/2

5/2 is the given sum.

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