How #2

[Jared Williams]

How would you factor and simplify this problem:

x-y over xy times xy over x-y

 

[skeeter]

start by multiplying the two fractions ...

(x-y)/(xy)*(xy)/(x-y)

you'll get the most useful constant in mathematics. :wink:

 

[chinesesortsnout]

Okay...it's a fraction, so you multiply across the top and bottom. In the top we have (x-y) and xy. When you multiply that it's xsquared y - ysquared x, but that doesn't really matter because the bottom numbers are also (x-y) and xy. The numerator and denominator are going to be the same so the answer's 1.