The sum of a number and its reciprocal is five.
The phrase a number means an arbitrary variable. Let's call it x.
The reciprocal of the number is 1/x.
The sum means we add them together:
x + 1/x
The word is means an equation, so we set x + 1/x equal to 5
x + 1/x = 5
The phrase a number means an arbitrary variable. Let's call it x.
The reciprocal of the number is 1/x.
The sum means we add them together:
x + 1/x
The word is means an equation, so we set x + 1/x equal to 5
x + 1/x = 5