<p>Question:</p>
<p>If f(x)=3+(5/x), which of the following CANNOT be a value of f(x)?</p>
<p>(A) -5/3
(B) -3/5
(C) 0
(D) 5/3
(E) 3</p>
<p>The correct answer is (E), but I do not understand why it is so. Can anybody help explain why the answer is 3?</p>
<p>SOURCE: BARRON'S SAT 25th Edition</p>
<p>It’s a typo/misprint</p>
<p>It’s not a typo, silly.</p>
<p>It’s impossible for f(x) to equal 3 because (5/x) would have to equal zero. No fraction in the world equals zero (limits don’t count). Question over.</p>
<p>haha my bad, thought it said x instead of f(x). damn sat math</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. I understand now. It’s a simple question lol.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is not true. There are infinitely many representations of zero as a fraction. 0/b = 0 for any nonzero number b.</p>
<p>What you meant to say is that b/x can never be zero unless b=0.</p>
<p>^Yes, that’s what I meant (forgive my ESLness). By the way, if you have a graphing calculator, you should just graph questions like this one. It shouldn’t take you more than 10 seconds to solve this if you do so.</p>
<p>In this function, f(x) can only be 3 when (5/x) is zero, but that can never happen. Since any value/0 is undefined. So E is correct</p>