ENG MS 465 Lecture 3: Multiplying and Dividing Rational Expressions
15 Sep 2016
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You can not cancel terms; you can only cancel factors. Since i can only cancel factors, my first step in this simplification has to be to factor all the numerators and denominators. Once i"ve factored everything, i can cancel off any factor that is mirrored on the two sides of the fraction line. First, i"ll need to flip the second fraction, and convert from division to multiplication. Then i"ll factor, and see if anything cancels. Then the final answer is: adding and subtracting rational expressions. To convert the 2/x to the common denominator, i will need to multiply by 2x/2x, since the denominator already has one copy of x but needs a 2 and another x: Similarly, for the 3/x2, i will multiply by 2/2; and for the 1/2x, i will multiply by x/x. Then the answer is: simplifying complex fractions. Method 1: simplify numerator and denominator separately and simplify results.
