Advanced Math practice question

Answer: 3

Multiply by x: 6 = x² − x, so x² − x − 6 = (x − 3)(x + 2) = 0. Since x > 0, x = 3. (Check: 6/3 = 2 = 3 − 1 ✓.)

Common wrong answers

If you answered 2

2 makes 6/x = 3 but x − 1 = 1.

If you answered 6

6 comes from reading the equation as x = 6; then 6/6 = 1 ≠ 5.

If you answered -2

−2 is the other root, excluded by x > 0.

More Advanced Math questions

• Very hard
  The function f(x) = x² + 6x + 5 is rewritten in the form f(x) = (x + a)² + b. What is the value of b?
• Very hard
  What is the solution to the equation 6/(x − 2) = 3?
• Very hard
  The polynomial p(x) = x³ − 4x has how many distinct real zeros?
• Very hard
  The polynomial p is defined by p(x) = x³ + ax² + bx − 12, where a and b are constants. If x − 2 is a factor of…
• Very hard
  The function f, defined by f(x) = 3000(1.331)^(x/12), gives the value, in dollars, of an investment x months a…
• Very hard
  In the xy-plane, the parabola y = x² − 4x + 7 and the line y = mx − 2, where m is a constant, intersect at exa…