1/2 Puzzle: What Number Gives the Same Result When Added to 1/2 as When Multiplied by 1/2?

Published on September 4, 2024

Question

Answer

Let’s call the unknown number “x”. We can set up an equation to represent the problem:
  • Adding to 1/2: x + 1/2
  • Multiplying by 1/2: x * (1/2)
The problem states these two expressions are equal, so we have:
x + 1/2 = x * (1/2)
Now we can solve for x:
  1. Simplify: x + 1/2 = (1/2)x
  2. Subtract (1/2)x from both sides: (1/2)x + 1/2 = 0
  3. Subtract 1/2 from both sides: (1/2)x = -1/2
  4. Multiply both sides by 2: x = -1
Therefore, the number is -1.
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