SOLUTION: Solve the exponential equation algebraically: e^x+e^-x/e^x-e^-x=7

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Question 612611: Solve the exponential equation algebraically: e^x+e^-x/e^x-e^-x=7
Answer by jsmallt9(3758) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
My guess is that the reason you have not yet received a response to this post is that the tutors don't believe the equation you posted is actually the equation you meant to post. What you posted means:
e%5Ex%2Be%5E%28-x%29%2Fe%5Ex-e%5E%28-x%29=7
This just doesn't look like the type of equation that would be assigned. It seems more likely that you did not use parentheses to make the equation clear. If the above is indeed the equation you meant, then re-post it and put parentheses around the fraction:
e%5Ex%2B%28e%5E%28-x%29%2Fe%5Ex%29-e%5E%28-x%29=7.

I suspect that your equation really looks like:
%28e%5Ex%2Be%5E%28-x%29%29%2F%28e%5Ex-e%5E%28-x%29%29=7
But, since the equation could also be %28e%5Ex%2Be%5E%28-x%29%29%2Fe%5Ex-e%5E%28-x%29=7 or e%5Ex%2Be%5E%28-x%29%2F%28e%5Ex-e%5E%28-x%29%29=7, I'm not willing to spend my free time solving an equation that has a 1 in 4 chance of being the right one.

In general, use parentheses freely, especially for (but not limitmed to):
  • multi-term numerators and denominators
  • exponents that are not just a variable or a positive whole number
  • radicands (Radicands are the expressions inside a radical.)
  • arguments to functions
  • whole fractions

If you are not sure how to use parentheses to make your equation unambiguous, then click on the "Show source" link that should be somewhere on this page. You will be able to see how I entered the different variations of the equation.