document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=248679>Question 248679</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> The following problem was on my final exam last night, and I cannot figure this out. I am trying to simplify this equation:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "[3 + b(to power of -1)]<BR>\n" );
document.write( "over<BR>\n" );
document.write( "[2 + b(to power of -1)]\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "What I did was turn the b to -1 power into 1 over b. Rewrite equation as\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "(3 + 1 over b)<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "(2 + 1 over b)\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Then I multiplied out to remover the denominator of b in each part of the overall equation. Rewrite equation as\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "3b+1<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "2b+1\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Then i multiplied out to remove the denominator of 2b+1. Rewrite as:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "(3b+1) (2b+1) which is also 6b squared + 2b + 3b + 1. Rewrite as:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "6b squared + 5b + 1.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Is this correct?? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #181201 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jim_thompson5910><B>jim_thompson5910(35256)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jim_thompson5910><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=181201\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> You were doing great until you decided to multiply by <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=2b%2B1 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"2b%2B1\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >. If this were an equation, then you could do that (to both sides). However, you cannot do that here unless you balance that action out by also dividing by <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=2b%2B1 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"2b%2B1\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >. So you really don't get anywhere in terms of simplification (as it makes things worse). So you're just best off stopping at the point where you got <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%283b%2B1%29%2F%282b%2B1%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%283b%2B1%29%2F%282b%2B1%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "So <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%283%2Bb%5E%28-1%29%29%2F%282%2Bb%5E%28-1%29%29=%283%2B1%2Fb%29%2F%282%2B1%2Fb%29=%283b%2B1%29%2F%282b%2B1%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > or in short,  <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%283%2Bb%5E%28-1%29%29%2F%282%2Bb%5E%28-1%29%29=%283b%2B1%29%2F%282b%2B1%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%283%2Bb%5E%28-1%29%29%2F%282%2Bb%5E%28-1%29%29=%283b%2B1%29%2F%282b%2B1%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "You can verify your answer with a graph (ie the graphs of the original and the final expressions should be the same).\r<BR>\n" );
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