SOLUTION: the denominator of a fraction exceeds its numerator by 3. if the numerator is decreased by 1 and the denominator is increased by 3, the value of the resulting fraction is 1/2.

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Question 994130: the denominator of a fraction exceeds its numerator by 3. if the numerator is decreased by 1 and the denominator is increased by 3, the value of the resulting fraction is 1/2.
Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
(x-1) / (x+6) = 1/2

multiply both sides of this equation by (x+6) to get:

(x-1) = 1/2 * (x + 6)

multiply both sides of this equation by 2 to get:

2x-1 = x+6

add 1 to both sides of this equation and subtract x from both sides of this equation to get:

2x - x = 6 + 1

combine like terms to get:

x = 7

when x = 7, (x-1) / (x+6) becomes 7/14 which is equal to 1/2.

the original fraction of x / (x+3) must be equal to 8 / 11.

subtract 1 from the numerator of 8 and you get 7.
add 3 to the denominator of 11 and you get 14.

if i understood what you are looking for, the solution appears to be x = 8.