Simplifying Equations

Date: 11/7/95 at 17:22:44
From: Anonymous
Subject: algebra

Question:
     4ax+2a-4b                               -3ax-bx-a+3b
______________________     +        __________________________
  2    2                                   2    2
ax  -bx +3ax -3bx +2a -2b                ax - bx +3ax -3bx +2a -2b

Date: 11/12/95 at 15:33:22
From: Doctor Ethan
Subject: Re: algebra

Hey Deborah,
  
If I understood your question correctly, then the denominators are 
the same so we can just add the tops together.

4ax + 2a - 4b - 3ax - bx - a + 3b = ax - bx + a - b

And the bottom is the same. 

Now things get a little harder but here is what I recognized.

On the bottom and the top we have a lot of a-b type patterns, so 
let's factor out an a-b on both the top and the bottom.

so we have:

(a-b)(x+1)
-------------
(a-b)(x^2 + 3x + 2)

See if you can work it from there.

-Doctor Ethan,  The Geometry Forum