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algebra intermediate

Problem

Find the largest value of such that
Solution
We might try to factor the quadratic, but unfortunately that doesn't get us anywhere. Instead, we start by subtracting from both sides so as to isolate the fraction. This gives us Multiplying both sides by gives Expanding the right side gives , so . Factoring gives , which has solutions and . The largest of these is .
Final answer
\frac{5}{2}