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Subtract: x 2 x + 3 9 x + 3 .

x 3

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Subtract: 4 x 2 2 x 5 25 2 x 5 .

2 x + 5

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Be careful of the signs when you subtract a binomial!

Subtract: y 2 y 6 2 y + 24 y 6 .

Solution

y 2 y 6 2 y + 24 y 6 The fractions have a common denominator, so subtract the numerators and place the difference over the common denominator. y 2 ( 2 y + 24 ) y 6 Distribute the sign in the numerator. y 2 2 y 24 y 6 Factor the numerator. ( y 6 ) ( y + 4 ) y 6 Remove common factors. ( y 6 ) ( y + 4 ) y 6 Simplify. y + 4

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Subtract: n 2 n 4 n + 12 n 4 .

n + 3

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Subtract: y 2 y 1 9 y 8 y 1 .

y 8

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Subtract: 5 x 2 7 x + 3 x 2 3 x + 18 4 x 2 + x 9 x 2 3 x + 18 .

Solution

5 x 2 7 x + 3 x 2 3 x + 18 4 x 2 + x 9 x 2 3 x + 18 Subtract the numerators and place the difference over the common denominator. 5 x 2 7 x + 3 ( 4 x 2 + x 9 ) x 2 3 x + 18 Distribute the sign in the numerator. 5 x 2 7 x + 3 4 x 2 x + 9 x 2 3 x 18 Combine like terms. x 2 8 x + 12 x 2 3 x 18 Factor the numerator and the denominator. ( x 2 ) ( x 6 ) ( x + 3 ) ( x 6 ) Simplify by removing common factors. ( x 2 ) ( x 6 ) ( x + 3 ) ( x 6 ) Simplify. ( x 2 ) ( x + 3 )

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Subtract: 4 x 2 11 x + 8 x 2 3 x + 2 3 x 2 + x 3 x 2 3 x + 2 .

x 11 x 2

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Subtract: 6 x 2 x + 20 x 2 81 5 x 2 + 11 x 7 x 2 81 .

x 3 x + 9

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Add and subtract rational expressions whose denominators are opposites

When the denominators of two rational expressions are opposites, it is easy to get a common denominator. We just have to multiply one of the fractions by −1 −1 .

Let’s see how this works.

.
Multiply the second fraction by −1 −1 . .
The denominators are the same. .
Simplify. .

Add: 4 u 1 3 u 1 + u 1 3 u .

Solution

.
The denominators are opposites, so multiply the second fraction by −1 −1 . .
Simplify the second fraction. .
The denominators are the same. Add the numerators. .
Simplify. .
Simplify. .

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Add: 8 x 15 2 x 5 + 2 x 5 2 x .

3

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Add: 6 y 2 + 7 y 10 4 y 7 + 2 y 2 + 2 y + 11 7 4 y .

y + 3

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Subtract: m 2 6 m m 2 1 3 m + 2 1 m 2 .

Solution

.
The denominators are opposites, so multiply the second fraction by −1 −1 . .
Simplify the second fraction. .
The denominators are the same. Subtract the numerators. .
Distribute. m 2 6 m + 3 m + 2 m 2 1
Combine like terms. .
Factor the numerator and denominator. .
Simplify by removing common factors. .
Simplify. .

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Subtract: y 2 5 y y 2 4 6 y 6 4 y 2 .

y + 3 y + 2

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Subtract: 2 n 2 + 8 n 1 n 2 1 n 2 7 n 1 1 n 2 .

3 n 2 n 1

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Key concepts

  • Rational Expression Addition
    • If p , q , and r are polynomials where r 0 , then
      p r + q r = p + q r
    • To add rational expressions with a common denominator, add the numerators and place the sum over the common denominator.
  • Rational Expression Subtraction
    • If p , q , and r are polynomials where r 0 , then
      p r q r = p q r
    • To subtract rational expressions, subtract the numerators and place the difference over the common denominator.

Practice makes perfect

Add Rational Expressions with a Common Denominator

In the following exercises, add.

3 a a b + 1 a b

3 a + 1 a + b

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3 c 4 c 5 + 5 4 c 5

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d d + 8 + 5 d + 8

d + 5 d + 8

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p 2 + 10 p p + 2 + 16 p + 2

p + 8

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q 2 + 12 q q + 3 + 27 q + 3

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2 r 2 2 r 1 + 15 r 8 2 r 1

r + 8

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3 s 2 3 s 2 + 13 s 10 3 s 2

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8 t 2 t + 4 + 32 t t + 4

8 t

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6 v 2 v + 5 + 30 v v + 5

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2 w 2 w 2 16 + 8 w w 2 16

2 w w 4

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7 x 2 x 2 9 + 21 x x 2 9

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Subtract Rational Expressions with a Common Denominator

In the following exercises, subtract.

y 2 y + 8 64 y + 8

y 8

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9 a 2 3 a 7 49 3 a 7

3 a + 7

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25 b 2 5 b 6 36 5 b 6

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c 2 c 8 6 c + 16 c 8

c + 2

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d 2 d 9 6 d + 27 d 9

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3 m 2 6 m 30 21 m 30 6 m 30

m 2 3

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2 n 2 4 n 32 30 n 16 4 n 32

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6 p 2 + 3 p + 4 p 2 + 4 p 5 5 p 2 + p + 7 p 2 + 4 p 5

p + 3 p + 5

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5 q 2 + 3 q 9 q 2 + 6 q + 8 4 q 2 + 9 q + 7 q 2 + 6 q + 8

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5 r 2 + 7 r 33 r 2 49 4 r 2 5 r 30 r 2 49

r + 9 r + 7

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7 t 2 t 4 t 2 25 6 t 2 + 2 t 1 t 2 25

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Add and Subtract Rational Expressions whose Denominators are Opposites

In the following exercises, add.

10 v 2 v 1 + 2 v + 4 1 2 v

4

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20 w 5 w 2 + 5 w + 6 2 5 w

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10 x 2 + 16 x 7 8 x 3 + 2 x 2 + 3 x 1 3 8 x

x + 2

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6 y 2 + 2 y 11 3 y 7 + 3 y 2 3 y + 17 7 3 y

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In the following exercises, subtract.

z 2 + 6 z z 2 25 3 z + 20 25 z 2

z + 4 z 5

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a 2 + 3 a a 2 9 3 a 27 9 a 2

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2 b 2 + 30 b 13 b 2 49 2 b 2 5 b 8 49 b 2

4 b 3 b 7

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c 2 + 5 c 10 c 2 16 c 2 8 c 10 16 c 2

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Everyday math

Sarah ran 8 miles and then biked 24 miles. Her biking speed is 4 mph faster than her running speed. If r represents Sarah’s speed when she ran, then her running time is modeled by the expression 8 r and her biking time is modeled by the expression 24 r + 4 . Add the rational expressions 8 r + 24 r + 4 to get an expression for the total amount of time Sarah ran and biked.

32 r + 32 r ( r + 4 )

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If Pete can paint a wall in p hours, then in one hour he can paint 1 p of the wall. It would take Penelope 3 hours longer than Pete to paint the wall, so in one hour she can paint 1 p + 3 of the wall. Add the rational expressions 1 p + 1 p + 3 to get an expression for the part of the wall Pete and Penelope would paint in one hour if they worked together.

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Writing exercises

Donald thinks that 3 x + 4 x is 7 2 x . Is Donald correct? Explain.

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Explain how you find the Least Common Denominator of x 2 + 5 x + 4 and x 2 16 .

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Self check

After completing the exercises, use this checklist to evaluate your mastery of the objectives of this section.

The above image is a table with four columns and four rows. The first row is the header row. The first header is labeled “I can…”, the second “Confidently”, the third, “With some help”, and the fourth “No – I don’t get it!”. In the first column under “I can”, the next row reads “add rational expressions with a common denominator.”, the next row reads “subtract rational expressions with a common denominator.”, the next row reads, “add and subtract rational expressions whose denominators are opposites.”, the last row reads “What does this checklist tell you about your mastery of this section? What steps will you take to improve?” The remaining columns are blank.

What does this checklist tell you about your mastery of this section? What steps will you take to improve?

Questions & Answers

Ayele, K., 2003. Introductory Economics, 3rd ed., Addis Ababa.
Widad Reply
can you send the book attached ?
Ariel
?
Ariel
What is economics
Widad Reply
the study of how humans make choices under conditions of scarcity
AI-Robot
U(x,y) = (x×y)1/2 find mu of x for y
Desalegn Reply
U(x,y) = (x×y)1/2 find mu of x for y
Desalegn
what is ecnomics
Jan Reply
this is the study of how the society manages it's scarce resources
Belonwu
what is macroeconomic
John Reply
macroeconomic is the branch of economics which studies actions, scale, activities and behaviour of the aggregate economy as a whole.
husaini
etc
husaini
difference between firm and industry
husaini Reply
what's the difference between a firm and an industry
Abdul
firm is the unit which transform inputs to output where as industry contain combination of firms with similar production 😅😅
Abdulraufu
Suppose the demand function that a firm faces shifted from Qd  120 3P to Qd  90  3P and the supply function has shifted from QS  20  2P to QS 10  2P . a) Find the effect of this change on price and quantity. b) Which of the changes in demand and supply is higher?
Toofiq Reply
explain standard reason why economic is a science
innocent Reply
factors influencing supply
Petrus Reply
what is economic.
Milan Reply
scares means__________________ends resources. unlimited
Jan
economics is a science that studies human behaviour as a relationship b/w ends and scares means which have alternative uses
Jan
calculate the profit maximizing for demand and supply
Zarshad Reply
Why qualify 28 supplies
Milan
what are explicit costs
Nomsa Reply
out-of-pocket costs for a firm, for example, payments for wages and salaries, rent, or materials
AI-Robot
concepts of supply in microeconomics
David Reply
economic overview notes
Amahle Reply
identify a demand and a supply curve
Salome Reply
i don't know
Parul
there's a difference
Aryan
Demand curve shows that how supply and others conditions affect on demand of a particular thing and what percent demand increase whith increase of supply of goods
Israr
Hi Sir please how do u calculate Cross elastic demand and income elastic demand?
Abari
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Source:  OpenStax, Elementary algebra. OpenStax CNX. Jan 18, 2017 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col12116/1.2
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