Reciprocal Help Needed: find the reciprocal of 1/3(9-4)

[KV]

I have to find the reciprocal of 1/3(9-4) I come up with the answer of 3/5.
The main problem I am having is with the problem that says to find the reciprocal of 1/7(-7-10) On this one I come up with an answer of -1/119 which does not seem right but I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. :evil:

 

[jwpaine]

1/7(-7-10)

do you mean (1/7)(-7-10) or 1/(7(-7-10)) there is a big difference

If you mean 1/(7(-7-10)) than 1/(7(-17)) than 1/(-119), thus its reciprocal would be -119

If you mean (1/7)(-7-10) than (1/7)(-17) = -17/7, thus it's reciprocal would be -7/17




John.

 

[KV]

The way I posted it was the way the question appears on the question sheet. So your guess is as good as mine.

 

[tkhunny]

If they truly were posted EXACTLY as you have reported, then something is seriously wrong on two counts:

1) It is ambiguous notation. The student is required to interpret the meaning of something that can and should be written clearly.

2) The two results given are inconsistent. You cannot use the same method twice and get both answers.

 

[Denis]

Re: Reciprocal Help Needed

The main problem I am having is with the problem that says to find the reciprocal of 1/7(-7-10)

1/7(-7-10) = 1/7 times -17 = -17/7; reciprocal = 7/-17; why are you having a problem?

 

[KV]

If they truly were posted EXACTLY as you have reported, then something is seriously wrong on two counts:

1) It is ambiguous notation. The student is required to interpret the meaning of something that can and should be written clearly.

2) The two results given are inconsistent. You cannot use the same method twice and get both answers.

Thank you for proving my point that the instructor for this class has no clue on what he is doing. Thank Goodness I have only one more week of classes with this moron. There have been several question like that he has asked us to solve. Online math was just not meant to be.

 

[Deleted member 4993]

KV,

What was the answer given for the second problem?

As written it should be - 7/17.

However when you calculated the answer to be -1/119, you found the value (not reciprocal) of 1/{7(-10-7)}

 

[KV]

my checkpoint has not yet come back so I do not know what the teacher says is right. BUT with the help I have gotten here and the help from a long distance tutor the correct answer is -7/17.