What is the solution to the equation StartFraction 1 Over x EndFraction = StartFraction x + 3 Over 2 x squared EndFraction?

x = –3
x = –3 and x = 0
x = 0 and x = 3
x = 3

1 answer

To solve the equation

\[ \frac{1}{x} = \frac{x + 3}{2x^2}, \]

we can start by cross-multiplying to eliminate the fractions:

\[ 1 \cdot 2x^2 = (x + 3) \cdot x. \]

This gives us:

\[ 2x^2 = x^2 + 3x. \]

Next, we can rearrange the equation by moving all terms to one side:

\[ 2x^2 - x^2 - 3x = 0, \]

which simplifies to:

\[ x^2 - 3x = 0. \]

Now, we can factor out an \( x \):

\[ x(x - 3) = 0. \]

Setting each factor to zero gives us the possible solutions:

  1. \( x = 0 \)
  2. \( x - 3 = 0 \) which leads to \( x = 3 \).

Thus, the solutions to the equation are \( x = 0 \) and \( x = 3 \).

Now, let's check if these solutions are valid in the original equation:

  • For \( x = 0 \), \(\frac{1}{0}\) is undefined, so \( x = 0\) is not a valid solution.
  • For \( x = 3 \), substituting into the original equation we have:

\[ \frac{1}{3} = \frac{3 + 3}{2 \cdot 3^2} = \frac{6}{18} = \frac{1}{3}, \]

which is valid.

Thus, the only valid solution is:

\[ x = 3. \]

The correct answer is: \( x = 3 \).