Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Can someone help me with this complex fraction question?
Simplify and leave in factored form.
[((x-2)/(x+2))+((x-1)/(X+1))] / [((x/x+1))-((2x-3)/x))]
The answer is (-2x(x^2-2))/(x(x-2)(x+2)) and I can't seem to get the answer.
I keep getting (-2x^3)/(x^3+3x^2+5x+6)
2 Answers
- llafferLv 75 years ago
let's see what I get:
[(x - 2) / (x + 2) + (x - 1) / (x + 1)] / [x / (x + 1) - (2x - 3) / x]
IF that's what the problem is, then let's start with getting common denominators. In the numerator we get (x + 2)(x + 1) and in the denominator we get x(x + 1). So now we have:
{(x - 2)(x + 1) / [(x + 1)(x + 2)] + (x - 1)(x + 2) / [(x - 2)(x + 1)]} / {x² / [x(x + 1)] - (2x - 3)(x + 1) / [x(x + 1)]}
Now add or subtract your numerators:
{[(x - 2)(x + 1) + (x - 1)(x + 2)] / [(x + 2)(x + 1)]} / {[x² - (2x - 3)(x + 1)] / [x(x + 1)]}
Now let's simplify what we have before we get more complicated, then re-factor what you can:
(x² - x - 2 + x² + x - 2) / [(x + 2)(x + 1)]} / {[x² - (2x² + 2x - 3x - 3)] / [x(x + 1)]}
(2x² - 4) / [(x + 2)(x + 1)]} / {[x² - (2x² - x - 3)] / [x(x + 1)]}
2(x² - 2) / [(x + 2)(x + 1)]} / {(x² - 2x² + x + 3) / [x(x + 1)]}
2(x² - 2) / [(x + 2)(x + 1)]} / {(-x² + x + 3) / [x(x + 1)]}
Multiplying both halves by -1 to get the negative out of the high-order coefficient:
-2(x² - 2) / [(x + 2)(x + 1)]} / {(x² - x - 3) / [x(x + 1)]}
Now we can turn the division of fractions into the multiplication of the reciprocal:
-2(x² - 2) / [(x + 2)(x + 1)]} * [x(x + 1) / (x² - x - 3)]
(x + 1) cancels out from the first denominator and the second numerator:
-2(x² - 2) / (x + 2) * x / (x² - x - 3)
Multiply your numerators and denominators:
-2x(x² - 2) / [(x + 2)(x² - x - 3)]
Now expand the halves and that is the simplified form:
(-2x³ + 4x) / (x³ - x² - 3x + 2x² - 2x - 6)
(-2x³ + 4x) / (x³ + x² - 5x - 6)
So, I don't get what you get, and I don't get what the answer is supposed to be, but I'm getting something in the middle. Hope you can follow my steps and see what went wrong.
- ?Lv 75 years ago
[((x - 2)/(x + 2)) + ((x - 1)/(x + 1))] / [((x/(x + 1)) - ((2x - 3)/x))]
= [2(x^2 - 2)/(x^2 + 3x + 2)] / [(-x^2 + x + 3)/(x^2 + x)]
= [2(x^2 - 2)(x^2 + x)] / [(x^2 + 3x + 2)(-x^2 + x + 3)]
= [-2x(x^2 - 2)] / [(x + 2)(x^2 - x - 3)]