Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video
Multiple Choice
Simplify the rational expressions below:
A
x+2x+3
B
x+5x+3
C
x+2x+2
D
Verified step by step guidance
1
Start by factoring both the numerator and the denominator of the rational expression \(\frac{x^2 + 5x + 6}{x^2 + 7x + 10}\) into products of binomials. Look for two numbers that multiply to the constant term and add to the coefficient of the middle term in each quadratic.
For the numerator \(x^2 + 5x + 6\), find two numbers that multiply to 6 and add to 5. Write the numerator as a product of two binomials using these numbers.
For the denominator \(x^2 + 7x + 10\), find two numbers that multiply to 10 and add to 7. Write the denominator as a product of two binomials using these numbers.
Once both numerator and denominator are factored, identify any common binomial factors that appear in both the numerator and denominator.
Cancel out the common binomial factors to simplify the rational expression to its lowest terms.