Precalculus: Mathematics for Calculus, 7th Edition

Published by Brooks Cole
ISBN 10: 1305071751
ISBN 13: 978-1-30507-175-9

Chapter 1 - Section 1.5 - Equations - 1.5 Exercises - Page 58: 139

Answer

The error occurs on the fifth step, where a division by 0 occurred.

Work Step by Step

Given that: $x = 1$, we can subtract "1" from both sides: $$x -1 = 1- 1$$ $$x -1 = 0$$ Therefore, you can't divide by $(x-1)$ in this case, because it breaks a math rule. $$\frac{x(x-1)}{x-1} \ne x$$ In this case, that division doesn't have a result.
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