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Re: Please help me simplify this expression.
Posted:
Jan 24, 2005 2:20 AM
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aaronhunter@gmail.com wrote:
:
: Problem: [x(x+2)^-(1/2) + (x+2)^(1/2) ] / (x+2)^(3/2)
:
: I first separate out the problem and combine the lower exponents to get
: [x((2/(x+2)) + 1/(x+2)] / (x+2)
I'm not sure what you mean by that, but the result is clearly incorrect.
Put x=2 (so that the square roots are easy) into the original expression
and get 3/8. In your expression, x=2 gives 5/16.
You want to change the denominator from (x+2)^(3/2) to just (x+2).
A standard trick for simplifing fractions is to multiply or divide
the numerator and denominator by the same amount. Try (x+2)^-(1/2).
That will give you the denominator you desire, but a simplier
numerator than you have above.
Perhaps a better approach would be to multiply the numerator and
denominator by (x+2)^(1/2). That still eliminates the fractional
exponents AND also eliminates the negative exponents at the same
time.
Robert
|)|\/| || Burnaby South Secondary School
|\| |orewood@olc.ubc.ca || Beautiful British Columbia
Mathematics & Computer Science || (Canada)
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