document.write( "Question 145277: Textbook Beecher, Penna it is an exercise on polynomials and rational inequalities I think my answer is -4 but I'm not sure. thank you for your help
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Algebra.Com's Answer #105949 by Edwin McCravy(20059)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Solve
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document.write( "\"4%3E=4%2Fx%2Bx\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "x cannot be 0 since we have the term \"4%2Fx\" and\r\n" );
document.write( "we cannot divide by 0. So there are two cases:\r\n" );
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document.write( "Case 1: \"x+%3E+0\" (i.e., x is positive)\r\n" );
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document.write( "Since x is in this case a positive number, if we\r\n" );
document.write( "clear of fractions by multiplying through by positive\r\n" );
document.write( "number x, the inequality symbol will NOT be reversed:\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"4%3E=4%2Fx%2Bx\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"x%2A4%3E=x%2A%284%2Fx%29+%2B+x%2Ax\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"4x%3E=4+%2B+x%5E2\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"-x%5E2%2B4x-4%3E=0\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "Multiply through by -1 to make the first term positive.\r\n" );
document.write( "This DOES reverse the inequality symbol:\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"x%5E2-4x%2B4%3C=0\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"%28x-2%29%28x-2%29%3C=0\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"%28x-2%29%5E2%3C=0\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "Since the square of a real number is never negative,\r\n" );
document.write( "the left side can never be less than 0, so it\r\n" );
document.write( "can only equal 0:\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"%28x-2%29%5E2=0\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
document.write( "\"x-2=0\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
document.write( "\"x=2\" AND \"x+%3E+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "So we get only one solution when \"x%3E0\",\r\n" );
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document.write( "namely x = 2\r\n" );
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document.write( "Case 2: \"x+%3C+0\" (i.e., x is negative)\r\n" );
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document.write( "Since x is in this case a negative number, if we\r\n" );
document.write( "clear of fractions by multiplying through by positive\r\n" );
document.write( "number x, the inequality symbol WILL be reversed:\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "\"4%3E=4%2Fx%2Bx\" AND \"x+%3C+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"x%2A4%3C=x%2A%284%2Fx%29+%2B+x%2Ax\" AND \"x+%3C+0\"\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "\"4x%3C=4+%2B+x%5E2\" AND \"x+%3C+0\"\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "\"-x%5E2%2B4x-4%3C=0\" AND \"x+%3C+0\"\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "Multiply through by -1 to make the first term positive.\r\n" );
document.write( "This DOES reverse the inequality symbol:\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "\"x%5E2-4x%2B4%3E=0\" AND \"x+%3C+0\"\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "\"%28x-2%29%28x-2%29%3E=0\" AND \"x+%3C+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"%28x-2%29%5E2%3E=0\" AND \"x+%3C+0\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "Since the square of any real number is never negative,\r\n" );
document.write( "the first part \"%28x-2%29%5E2%3E=0\" will be true for all\r\n" );
document.write( "values of x, and the second part \"x+%3C+0\" is the\r\n" );
document.write( "only thing that must be satisfied.  So the solution is\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"x+=+2_OR_x+%3C+0\" \r\n" );
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document.write( "The graph of this is\r\n" );
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document.write( "<=============o-----@------>\r\n" );
document.write( " -4 -3 -2 -1  0  1  2  3  4 \r\n" );
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document.write( "where \"o\" means \"an open circle\" and where \"@\" means a\r\n" );
document.write( "closed circle.  This is abbreviated in interval \r\n" );
document.write( "notation as\r\n" );
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document.write( "(\"-infinity\",0) U {2}\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin

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