Question

If you subtract `1/2` from a number and multiply the result by `1/2`, you get `1/8`. What is the number?

Answer 1

Let the number be x. According to the question,

`(x - 1/2) xx 1/2 = 1/8`

On multiplying both sides by 2, we obtain

`(x - 1/2) xx 1/2 xx 2 = 1/8 xx2`

`x - 1/2 = 1/4`

On transposing `1/2`  to R.H.S, we obtain

`x = 1/4 + 1/2`

= `(1+2)/4 = 3/4`

Therefore, the number is `3/4`