HMMT-Nov 2017 guts, Problem 14

Points $A, B, C$, and $D$ lie on a line in that order such that $\frac{A B}{B C}=\frac{D A}{C D}$. If $A C=3$ and $B D=4$, find $A D$.

Solution: Let $B C=x$, then the equation becomes $\frac{3-x}{x}=\frac{7-x}{4-x}$. This simplifies to a quadratic equation with solutions $x=1$ and $x=6$. Since $x<3$, we have $x=1$ and $A D=7-x=6$. $\fbox{6}$.

Answer: 6