A number exceeds 4 times its reciprocal by 3. Find the number.
•Let the number be x "A number exceeds 4 times its reciprocal..." x = 1/x *4 x = 4/x "...by 3..." x = 4/x + 3 •Now multiply all the terms by x so that the x below 4 can be canceled. x^2 = 4 + 3x x^2 - 3x - 4 = 0 •You can now solve this sum using the quadratic equation method. x^2-3x-4=0 Product=1*-4=-4 Sum=-3 The numbers which give the product of -4 and a sum of -3 are -4 and +1. x^2-3x-1x-4=0 x(x+4)-1(x+4)=0 (x-1)(x+4) So the possible answers are: x-1=0 x=1 OR x+4=0 x=-4 Both of these answers are correct and you can check them with this equation that we formed earlier: x=4/x+3











