Solving Rational Equations and Applications

Learning Objective(s)
 Solve rational equations.
 Check for extraneous solutions.
 Solve application problems involving rational equations.

Introduction

Equations that contain rational expressions are called rational equations. For

example, is a rational equation.

You can solve these equations using the techniques for performing operations with rational
expressions and the procedures for solving algebraic equations. Rational equations can be
useful for representing real-life situations and for finding answers to real problems. In particular,
they are quite good for describing distance-speed-time relationships and for modeling work
problems that involve more than one person.

Solving Rational Equations

One method for solving rational equations is to rewrite the rational expressions in terms of a
common denominator. Then, since you know the numerators are equal, you can solve for the
variable. To illustrate this, let’s look at a very simple equation.

Since the denominator of each expression is the same, the numerators must be equivalent. This
means that x = 2.

This is true for rational equations with polynomials too.

Since the denominators of each rational expression are the same, x + 4, the numerators must
be equivalent for the equation to be true. So, x – 5 = 11 and x = 16.

Just as with other algebraic equations, you can check your solution in the original rational
equation by substituting the value for the variable back into the equation and simplifying.
When the terms in a rational equation have unlike denominators, solving the equation will
involve some extra steps. One way of solving rational equations with unlike denominators is to
multiply both sides of the equation by the least common multiple of the denominators of all the
fractions contained in the equation. This eliminates the denominators and turns the rational
equation into a polynomial equation. Here’s an example.

Example
Problem
Solve the equation .
4 = 2 • 2 Find the least common multiple
8 = 2 • 2 • 2 (LCM) of 4 and 8. Remember, to
find the LCM, identify the greatest
LCM = 2 • 2 • 2 number of times each factor
LCM = 8 appears in each factorization.
Here, 2 appears 3 times, so 2 • 2 •
2, or 8, will be the LCM.
The LCM of 4 and 8 is also the
lowest common denominator for
the two fractions.

Multiply both sides of the equation

by the common denominator, 8, to
keep the equation balanced and to
eliminate the denominators.

Simplify and solve for x.

Check the solution by substituting

9 for x in the original equation.
 Answer

Another way to solve a rational equation with unlike denominators is to rewrite each term with a
common denominator and then just create an equation from the numerators. This works
because if the denominators are the same, the numerators must be equal. The next example
shows this approach with the same equation you just solved:

Example
Problem
Solve the equation .
Multiply the right side of the

equation by to get a common

denominator of 8. (Multiplying

by is the same as multiplying by

1, so the equation stays balanced.)
Since the denominators are the
same, the numerators must be
equal for the equation to be true.
Solve for x.
Answer

In some instances, you’ll need to take some additional steps in finding a common denominator.
Consider the example below, which illustrates using what you know about denominators to
rewrite one of the expressions in the equation.

Example
Problem
Solve the equation .
Rewrite the expression using a
common denominator.
 Since the denominator for each
expression is 3, the numerators
must be equal.

Check the solution in the original

equation.

Answer

You could also solve this problem by multiplying each term in the equation by 3 to eliminate the
fractions altogether. Here is how it would look.

Example
Problem
Solve the equation .
Both fractions in the equation have
a denominator of 3. Multiply
both sidesof the equation (not just
the fractions!) by 3 to eliminate the
denominators.
Apply the distributive property and
multiply 3 by each term within the
parentheses. Then simplify and
solve for x.
 Answer

Excluded Values and Extraneous Solutions

Some rational expressions have a variable in the denominator. When this is the case, there is
an extra step in solving them. Since division by 0 is undefined, you must exclude values of the
variable that would result in a denominator of 0. These values are called excluded values. Let’s
look at an example.

Example
Problem
Solve the equation .
Determine any values for x that
would make the denominator 0.

5 is an excluded value because it makes

the denominator x - 5 equal to 0.
Since the denominator of each
expression in the equation is the
same, the numerators must be
equal. Set the numerators equal to
one another and solve for x.
Check the solution in the original
equation.

Answer
 Give the excluded values for . Do not solve.

A)
B) 2
C) −2, 2
D) −2, 2, 4

Show/Hide Answer

Let’s look at an example with a more complicated denominator.

Example
Problem

Solve the equation .

Determine any
values for x that
would make the
denominator 0.
3 is an excluded value because it maxes
x – 3 and equal to 0.

−3 is an excluded value because it makes

x + 3 and equal to 0.
Since x2 – 9 or
(x ‒ 3)(x + 3) is a
common multiple
of x ‒ 3 and x + 3,
you can multiply
both sides of the
equation by
(x ‒ 3)(x + 3) to
clear the
denominator from
the equation.
Solve for x.
 Check the
solution in the
original equation.

Answer

Solve the equation ,m 0 or 2

A) m = 2
B) no solution
C) m = 8

Show/Hide Answer
A) m = 2
Incorrect. You probably found the common denominator correctly, but forgot to distribute
when you were simplifying. You also forgot to check your solution or note the excluded
values; m ≠ 2 because it makes the expression on the right side undefined. Multiplying
 both sides by the common denominator gives ,
so . The correct answer is m = 8.

B) no solution

Incorrect. , so . The solution, 8, is not an

excluded value. The correct answer is m = 8.

C) m = 8
Correct. Multiplying both sides of the equation by the common denominator

gives , so . The correct answer is m = 8.

You’ve seen that there is more than one way to solve rational equations. Because both of these
techniques manipulate and rewrite terms, sometimes they can produce solutions that don’t work
in the original form of the equation. These types of answers are called extraneous solutions.
That's why it is always important to check all solutions in the original equations—you may find
that they yield untrue statements or produce undefined expressions.

Example
Problem

Solve the equation .

−4 is an excluded value Determine any values for m that
because it makes m + 4 equal to would make the denominator 0.
0.
16 = m2 Since the denominator of each
expression in the equation is the
same, the numerators must be
equal. Set the numerators equal to
one another and solve for m.

0=m+4 or 0=m–4
m = −4 or m=4

m = 4, −4
Check the solutions in the original
equation.

Since m = −4 leads to division by

 0, it is an extraneous solution.

-4 is excluded because
it leads to division by 0.

Answer m=4

Solving Application Problems

A “work problem” is an example of a real life situation that can be modeled and solved using a
rational equation. Work problems often ask you to calculate how long it will take different people
working at different speeds to finish a task. The algebraic models of such situations often
involve rational equations derived from the work formula, W = rt. (Notice that the work formula is
very similar to the relationship between distance, rate, and time, or d = rt.) The amount of work
done (W) is the product of the rate of work (r) and the time spent working (t). The work formula
has 3 versions.

W = rt

Some work problems include multiple machines or people working on a project together for the
same amount of time but at different rates. In that case, you can add their individual work rates
together to get a total work rate. Let’s look at an example.

Example
Problem Myra takes 2 hours to plant 50 flower bulbs. Francis takes
3 hours to plant 45 flower bulbs. Working together, how
long should it take them to plant 150 bulbs?
 Think about how many
bulbs each person can
Myra: , or plant in one hour. This is
their planting rate.

Francis: , or
Myra and Francis together: Combine their hourly
rates to determine the
rate they work together.

Use one of the work

formulas to write a
rational equation, for

example . You
know r, the combined
work rate, and you
know W, the amount of
work that must be done.
What you don't know is
how much time it will
take to do the required
work at the designated
rate.
Solve the equation by
multiplying both sides
by the common
denominator, then
isolating t.

t= hours
Answer It should take 3 hours 45 minutes for Myra and Francis to plant
150 bulbs together.

Other work problems go the other way. You can calculate how long it will take one person to do
a job alone when you know how long it takes people working together to complete the job.

Example
Problem Joe and John are planning to paint a house together. John thinks that
if he worked alone, it would take him 3 times as long as it would take
Joe to paint the entire house. Working together, they can complete
the job in 24 hours. How long would it take each of them, working
alone, to complete the job?
Let x = time it takes Joe Choose variables to represent the
to complete the job unknowns. Since it takes John 3 times as
long as Joe to paint the house, his time is
3x = time it takes John represented as 3x.
to complete the job
The work is painting 1 house or 1. Write an
expression to represent each person’s rate
Joe’s rate: using the formula

.
John’s rate:
Their combined rate is the sum of their
individual rates. Use this rate to write a
combined rate: new equation using the formula W = rt.

The problem states that it takes them 24

hours together to paint a house, so if you
multiply their combined hourly

rate by 24, you will get 1, which

is the number of houses they can paint in
24 hours.
Now solve the equation for x. (Remember
that x represents the number of hours it will
take Joe to finish the job.)
 Check the solutions in the original
equation.

The solution checks. Since x = 32, it takes

Joe 32 hours to paint the house by himself.
John’s time is 3x, so it would take him 96
hours to do the same amount of work.
Answer It takes 32 hours for Joe to paint the house by himself and 96 hours for
John the paint the house himself.

As shown above, many work problems can be represented by the equation ,

where t is the time to do the job together, a is the time it takes person A to do the job, and b is
the time it takes person B to do the job. The 1 refers to the total work done—in this case, the
work was to paint 1 house.

The key idea here is to figure out each worker’s individual rate of work. Then, once those rates
are identified, add them together, multiply by the time t, set it equal to the amount of work done,
and solve the rational equation.

Mari and Liam can each wash a car and vacuum its interior in 2 hours. Zach needs 3
hours to do this same job alone. If Zach, Liam, and Mari work together, how long will it
 take them to clean a car?

A) 20 minutes
B) 45 minutes
C) 1.2 hours
D) 1 hour

Show/Hide Answer
A) 20 minutes
Incorrect. It looks like you divided one hour by 3 to arrive at 20 minutes. Remember that
Zach is working at a different rate than Mari and Liam, so you cannot do straight
division. The correct answer is 45 minutes.

B) 45 minutes

Correct. According to the formula, . Mari and Liam each have a rate of car in

one hour, and Zach’s rate is car in one hour. Working together, they have a rate

of , or . W is one car, so the formula becomes = . This

means , so , and t = . It takes three-quarters of an hour, or 45

minutes, to clean one car.

C) 1.2 hours
Incorrect. Mari and Liam clean a car in two hours each, not as a team. They each have a

rate of car in one hour, and Zach’s rate is car in one hour. Working together, they

have a rate of . The correct answer is 45 minutes.

D) 1 hour
Incorrect. This is the time it would take for Mari and Liam to clean one car together.
Since Zach is helping, it will take less time than that. The correct answer is 45 minutes.

Summary
You can solve rational equations by finding a common denominator. By rewriting the equation so
that all terms have the common denominator, you can solve for the variable using just the
numerators. Or, you can multiply both sides of the equation by the least common multiple of the
denominators so that all terms become polynomials instead of rational expressions. Rational
equations can be used to solve a variety of problems that involve rates, times and work. Using
rational expressions and equations can help you answer questions about how to combine
workers or machines to complete a job on schedule.
An important step in solving rational equations is to reject any extraneous solutions from the
final answer. Extraneous solutions are solutions that don't satisfy the original form of the
equation because they produce untrue statements or are excluded values that make a
denominator equal to 0.

Using a riding lawn mower, Sherry, the landscaper of a large park, can mow the lawn
in 8 hours. With a small mower, her assistant Bob needs 14 hours to mow the same
lawn. If Sherry and Bob work together mowing the lawn, how long will it take them
to mow the lawn
Using a riding lawn mower, Sherry, the landscaper of a large park, can mow the lawn
in 8 hours. With a small mower, her assistant Bob needs 14 hours to mow the same
lawn. If Sherry and Bob work together mowing the lawn, how long will it take them
to
mow the lawn?

Jack and Jill are going up the hill to pull weeds. Jack can pull all of the weeds by
himself
in 8 hours; if Jill helps him they can pull the same amount of weeds in 5 hours. How
long
would it take Jill to pull the weeds working alone?
Will and Matthew own a small business. Will, working alone can complete a job in 8
hours. Matthew can complete the same job in 9 hours. How long would it take them
to complete the job working together?
Will and Matthew own a small business. Will, working alone can complete a job in 8
hours. Matthew can complete the same job in 9 hours. How long would it take them
to
complete the job working together?
Here are the steps required for Solving Problems Involving Work:

Step 1:
A problem involving work can be solved using the formula ,
where T = time working together, A = the time for person A working
alone, and B = the time for person B working alone.
Step 2: Solve the equation created in the first step. This can be done by first
multiplying the entire problem by the common denominator and then
solving the resulting equation.
Step 3: Answer the question asked of you in the problem and be sure to include
units with your answer.

Example 1 – Walter and Helen are asked to paint a house. Walter can paint the house
by himself in 12 hours and Helen can paint the house by herself in 16 hours. How
long would it take to paint the house if they worked together?

Step 1: A problem involving work can

be solved using the formula ,

where T = time working together, A =
the time for person A working alone,
and B = the time for person B working
alone.

Step 2: Solve the equation created in

the first step. This can be done by first
multiplying the entire problem by the
common denominator and then solving
the resulting equation. In this case, the
least common denominator is 48.

Step 3: Answer the question asked of

you in the problem and be sure to
include units with your answer.

Example 2 – Tom and Jerry have to stuff and mail 1000 envelopes for a new
marketing campaign. Jerry can do the job alone in 6 hours. If Tom helps, they can get
the job done in 4 hours. How long would it take Tom to do the job by himself?
Step 1: A problem involving work can

be solved using the formula ,

where T = time working together, A =
the time for person A working alone,
and B = the time for person B working
alone.
Step 2: Solve the equation created in
the first step. This can be done by first
multiplying the entire problem by the
common denominator and then solving
the resulting equation. In this case, the
least common denominator is 6A.
Step 3: Answer the question asked of
you in the problem and be sure to
include units with your answer.

Click Here for Practice Problems

Example 3 – One pipe can fill a swimming pool in 10 hours, while another pipe can
empty the pool in 15 hours. How long would it take to fill the pool if both pipes were
accidentally left open?

Step 1: A problem involving work can

be solved using the formula ,

where T = time working together, A =
the time for person A working alone,
and B = the time for person B working
alone. In this case, one pipe is filling
the pool and the other is emptying the
pool so we get the equation:
Step 2: Solve the equation created in
the first step. This can be done by first
multiplying the entire problem by the
common denominator and then solving
the resulting equation. In this case, the
least common denominator is 30.
Step 3: Answer the question asked of
you in the problem and be sure to
include units with your answer.

Click Here for Practice Problems

Example 4 – One roofer can put a new roof on a house three times faster than another.
Working together they can roof a house in 5 days. How long would it take the faster
roofer working alone?

Step 1: A problem involving work can

be solved using the formula ,

where T = time working together, A =
the time for person A working alone,
and B = the time for person B working
alone.

Step 2: Solve the equation created in

the first step. This can be done by first
multiplying the entire problem by the
common denominator and then solving
the resulting equation. In this case, the
least common denominator is 3x.

Step 3: Answer the question asked of

you in the problem and be sure to
include units with your answer.

Click Here for Practice Problems

Example 5 – Triplets, Justin, Jason, and Jacob are working on a school project. Justin
can complete the project by himself in 6 hours, Jason can complete the project by
himself in 9 hours, and Jacob can complete the project by himself in 8 hours. How
long would it take the triplets to complete the project if they work together?

Step 1: A problem involving work can

be solved using the formula ,

where T = time working together, A =
the time for person A working alone,
and B = the time for person B working
alone. In this case, there are three
people so the equation becomes:

Step 2: Solve the equation created in

the first step. This can be done by first
multiplying the entire problem by the
common denominator and then solving
the resulting equation. In this case, the
least common denominator is 72.

Step 3: Answer the question asked of

you in the problem and be sure to
include units with your answer.

Click Here for Practice Problems