Question

I'm stuck. Help plz!
Solve for s
1/g + 1/b + 1/s = 1

Answer 1

k so you got single s by itself

Answer 2

I don't think you're doing this right...

Answer 3

yeah im still doubting this myself....

Answer 4

ha brother you can find s by verification its simple put g=1,b=1 then s=-1

Answer 5

\[\frac{1}{g} + \frac{1}{b} + \frac{1}{s} = 1\]

To find s in terms of g and b.
Put all the other terms on the other side.

\[\frac{1}{s} = 1 - \frac{1}{g} - \frac{1}{b}\]

Now find the LCM on the RHS, to get it as a fraction [with one numerator and one denominator, so that you can take the reciprocal to get the value of s]
You'll get:

\[\frac{1}{s} = \frac{gb - b - g}{gb}\]

Now use the property that if \(\frac{a}{b} = \frac{c}{d}\) then \(\frac{b}{a} = \frac{d}{c}\)

Getting me? :)

Answer 6

@pullaya
That is an incorrect method of solving this question.

Answer 7

Sorry, I don't really understand this...

Answer 8

Do you know what LCM is?

Answer 9

yeah, least common multiple

Answer 10

Do you understand why I kept 1/s on one side and took everything else on the other?

Answer 11

Yup.

Answer 12

Which part do you not understand?

Answer 13

I don't understand how you got the 3rd equation using the least common multiple.

Answer 14

Okay, so what is the least common multiple?

We find a common denominator for everything by just multiplying each term by a suitable number. Here's what I mean:

Let us say we have \[\frac{1}{a} + \frac{1}{b}\]

What is a common denominator we can get?

We find the LCM of the denominators already there, that is 'a' and 'b'.
What is the denominator of a and b? [Well, it is 'ab']

So how do we get a common denominator 'ab', we multiply 'b' to one term and 'a' to the other: \[\frac{1*b}{a*b} + \frac{1*a}{b*a}\] = \[\frac{a}{ab} + \frac{b}{ab}\] = \[\frac{a+b}{ab}\]

This is basically, how I got the 3rd equation.