smc

Question

If a number N,N 0, diminished by four times its reciprocal, equals a given real constant R, then, for this given R, the sum of all such possible values of N is

Accepted Answer

Write an equation from the given information. N - 4N = R N^2 - 4 = RN N^2 - RN - 4 = 0 By Vieta's Formulas, the sum of all possible values of N for a given R is R, so the answer is R.