What is x when 42 divided by x equals 87?

In other words, what would the divisor be if the dividend were 42 and the quotient 87?

To find the answer, just divide the dividend by the quotient: 42 ÷ 87 = 0.48275862068966

To prove this, let's compute 42 divided by 0.48275862068966: 42 0.48275862068966 = 87

How does it work?

Asking what the value of x could be when 42 divided by x gives a result of 87, is equivalent to solving the following equation:

42 x = 87

  1. Multiply both sides by x: 42 x x = 87 x
  2. 42 x x is equivalent to x x × 42 , which simplifies to 1 × 42 (or just 42 ).
  3. Thus, the equation becomes: 42 = 87 x
  4. To find x, divide both sides by 87: 42 87 = 87 x 87
  5. Which gives, after simplification: 0.48275862068966 = x (or x = 0.48275862068966 )

So, if the dividend is 42 and the quotient is 87, the divisor is 0.48275862068966.