Maths Olympiad Prep

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, 2014

Algebra Difficulty 1.4 Junior Find the answer Canada

What number should go in the \square to make the equation 34+4=1\dfrac{3}{4} + \dfrac{4}{\square} = 1 true?

Pick one

Solution

For 34+4=1\dfrac{3}{4} + \dfrac{4}{\square} = 1 to be true, we must have 4=134=14\dfrac{4}{\square} = 1 - \dfrac{3}{4} = \dfrac{1}{4}.

Since 14=416\dfrac{1}{4} = \dfrac{4}{16}, we rewrite the right side using the same numerator to obtain 4=416\dfrac{4}{\square} = \dfrac{4}{16}.

Therefore, =16\square = 16 makes the equation true.

(We can check that 34+416=1\dfrac{3}{4} + \dfrac{4}{16}=1, as required.)

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