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## Jravenv one year ago Can you assist me with this please? Screepcap in comments

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1. Jravenv

2. anonymous

show what you have done so far

3. Jravenv

I haven't done anything, I don't really understand the question to be honest. If you could help me with a step by step process I'd really appreciate it.

4. anonymous

Ok, first we have the problem below and we want to isolate x, i.e. find an expression for x in terms of "a" and "b". $\frac{5a}{x} = \frac{5b}{x-1}$

5. Jravenv

How do I do that? o.o

6. anonymous

the fist step is to multiply both sides by $$x(x-1)$$, so we get: $x(x-1)\frac{5a}{x} = x(x-1)\frac{5b}{x-1}$ $5a(x-1) = 5bx$

7. anonymous

now you expand the parethesis: $5ax - 5a = 5bx$ $5ax - 5bx = 5a$ $5x(a-b) = 5a$ $x(a-b) = a$

8. anonymous

now, what you do?

9. Jravenv

Get the x to the equal sign, so would I divide both sides by x?

10. anonymous

No... now, in order to find and expression to x, that is, find something like this: "x = ...", just divide both sides by $$a-b$$

11. anonymous

So we get $x = \frac{a}{a-b}$

12. Jravenv

That's a really complicated process, I kind of get it but for future references would you mind helping me to comprehend how you get an expression for the terms of "a" and "b".

13. anonymous

Sure, but you should learn this, it's very important, you are going to use it everywhere in math

14. anonymous

It's just a process of isolating x to one side and everything else to the other side

15. Jravenv

I'm not good at math at all, I've tried to learn all this, but I have serious troubles comprehending this type of stuff. I don't have a teacher because I'm homeschooled also so I'm sort of stuck with OpenStudy.

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