Respuesta :
Answer:
[tex]\frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{x+1}=\frac{17}{72}[/tex]The two consecutive positive integers are 8 and 9.
Explanation:
Let the 1st positive integer be x and the 2nd be x + 1, so their reciprocal will be 1/x and 1/x+1.
The equation can then be written as;
[tex]\frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{x+1}=\frac{17}{72}[/tex]To solve for x, the 1st step is to find the LCM of the left-hand side of the equation;
[tex]\begin{gathered} \frac{(x+1)+x}{x(x+1)}=\frac{17}{72} \\ \frac{2x+1}{x(x+1)}=\frac{17}{72} \end{gathered}[/tex]We can equate the numerators and solve for x as shown below;
[tex]\begin{gathered} 2x+1=17 \\ 2x=17-1 \\ x=\frac{16}{2} \\ x=8 \end{gathered}[/tex]If the 1st positive integer, x, is 8, therefore the 2nd integer, x + 1, will be;
[tex]x+1=8+1=9[/tex]