Q. Solve the equation for all values of x.∣3x−4∣=xAnswer: x=
Absolute Value Equation: We have the equation ∣3x−4∣=x. To solve this, we need to consider two cases because the absolute value function outputs the distance from zero, which can be either positive or negative.Case 1: When the expression inside the absolute value is non-negative, we can remove the absolute value bars without changing the sign.Case 2: When the expression inside the absolute value is negative, we remove the absolute value bars and change the sign of the expression inside.
Case 1 Solution: Solve for Case 1 where the expression inside the absolute value is non-negative.3x−4=xSubtract x from both sides to get the x terms on one side.3x−x−4=x−x2x−4=0Add 4 to both sides to isolate the term with x.2x−4+4=0+42x=4Divide both sides by 2 to solve for x.x1x2
Case 2 Solution: Solve for Case 2 where the expression inside the absolute value is negative.−3x−4=xDistribute the negative sign inside the parentheses.−3x+4=xAdd 3x to both sides to get the x terms on one side.−3x+3x+4=x+3x4=4xDivide both sides by 4 to solve for x.44=44x1=x
Check Solutions: Check the solutions in the original equation to ensure they do not result in a negative inside the absolute value when it should be positive or vice versa.For x=2:∣3(2)−4∣=2∣6−4∣=2∣2∣=22=2 which is true.For x=1:∣3(1)−4∣=1∣3−4∣=1∣−1∣=11=1 which is true.Both solutions satisfy the original equation.
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