Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Simplifying Rational Expressions
Simplifying Rational Expressions
Operations on Rational
Expressions
Rational expressions are fractions in which the
numerator and denominator are polynomials and the
denominator does not equal zero.
x2 9
Example: Simplify .
x 3
( x 3)( x 3)
x 3
( x 3)( x 3) , x – 3 0
( x 3)
( x 3), x 3
x( x 3) • ( x 1)( x 2)
Factor the numerator and
( x 3)( x 1) ( x 3)( x 1) denominator of each fraction.
x( x 3)( x 1)( x 2)
Multiply.
( x 3)( x 1)( x 3)( x 1)
x( x 3)( x 1)( x 2)
Divide by the common factors.
( x 3)( x 1)( x 3)( x 1)
x ( x 2) Write the answer in simplest
( x 1)( x 3) form.
x(1 xy) • z 2
Divide by the common
2 x(1 xy) • z factors.
z
Simplest form
2
x x 3( x 2) 3( x 2)( x)
•
4x 2
(2 x)( 2 x) 3( x 2) 12 x 2 ( x 2)
LCM
2x 1 2x 1 • 2x 2 x(2 x 1)
6 x 12 x 6 x( x 2) 2 x 12 x 2 ( x 2)
2
2x 4
Example: Subtract 2 2 .
x 4 x 4
2x 4 2( x 2) 2
2
x 4 ( x 2)( x 2) ( x 2)