allegansveritatem
Full Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2018
- Messages
- 962
I am being asked to reduce this fraction:
View attachment 10214
Here is my solution:
View attachment 10215
The book solution is:
X + 6/X + 1
What am I missing here?
No it's not; it's (X + 6)/(X + 1) : make sure you understand why...The book solution is:
X + 6/X + 1
No it's not; it's (X + 6)/(X + 1) : make sure you understand why...
Here is my new solution:
View attachment 10217
I am still not there yet but either I am wrong or the book
OK but why use the parentheses?
The order of operations says that division is done before addition. So x + 6/x + 1 means (x) + (6/x) + (1). See the guideline summary.
The slash, "/", doesn't indicate what is in the numerator and what is in the denominator, even though you know what you meant. You have to write so that others will have no doubt what you intended; that is what the rules are for.
When in doubt, add more parentheses!
Whenever you factor anything, check it by multiplying!
You factored x^2 + 5x - 6 and got (x+1)(x-6). But when you expand the latter, you get x^2 - 6x + x - 6 = x^2 - 5x - 6.
It should have been (x-1)(x+6). Then everything will work as expected. (You quoted the book wrong here, but it will match what you original said the book said.)
Whenever you factor anything, check it by multiplying!
You factored x^2 + 5x - 6 and got (x+1)(x-6). But when you expand the latter, you get x^2 - 6x + x - 6 = x^2 - 5x - 6.
It should have been (x-1)(x+6). Then everything will work as expected. (You quoted the book wrong here, but it will match what you original said the book said.)