Help please

[Nat_Sharpie]

I am having difficulty working out the following problem, can anyone help me ?

5x^2/3=x^-1/3


the answer is 1/5

 

[HallsofIvy]

The usual procedure for solving equations is to "get x by itself on one side of the equation". If you want to get x by itself on the left, you need to remove it from the right side. Since the equation has "\(\displaystyle x^{-1/3}\)" on the right, you can remove that by dividing both sides by \(\displaystyle x^{-1/3}\) or, equivalently, by multiplying both sides by \(\displaystyle x^{1/3}\). And since there is a "5" on the left, to get x only on the left, divide both sides by 5.

What do you get when you do that?

 

[HallsofIvy]

The answer to what you posted is not 1/5; 1/5 is the answer to: 5x^(2/3) = x^(-1/3)

What you posted is equivalent to: (5 * x^2) / 3 = (x^-1) / 3
Make sure you understand the difference

Good point!