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lisanoce · May 13, 2009, 03:13 PM

How do you solve for x:

0.500 = x/(0.210 - x)(0.100)^2

I know it should be only one answer. Please explain how you got it thanks!

Zazonker · May 13, 2009, 08:19 PM

Are you sure you typed the problem correctly? It is relatively simple to solve, but it's a really ugly answer.

How to solve it? There's more than one way, but I would just do the multiplication in the denominator (right hand side), multiply the left hand side by the result, collect terms into the form ax = b. Divide and you'll have it.

Perito · May 13, 2009, 08:25 PM

$0.500 = x/(0.210 - x)(0.100)^2$

$(0.100^2) \, \times \, 0.500 = x/(0.210 - x)$

$0.005 \, \times \, (0.210-x) = x$

$0.00105-0.005x = x$

$0.00105 = x + 0.005x = 1.005x$

$\frac {0.00105}{1.005} = x$

$0.001044776 \approx x$

As Zazonker said, are you sure you wrote it down correctly. This looks pretty messy and that's not typical of a homework problem. On the other name, maybe the problem is this (I can't tell whether the 0.001^2 is in the numerator or denominator -- because of how you wrote it).

$0.500 = \frac {x}{(0.210 - x)} \, \times \, (0.100)^2$

But that's at least as messy.

$50 = \frac {x}{(0.210 - x)}$

$10.5 - 50x = x$

$10.5 = 51x$

$\frac {10.5}{51} = x$

$0.20588 \approx x$