SOLUTION: Adding/Subtracting rational expressions 8y - 3/y + 7 - 4y - 1/y + 7

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Question 173555: Adding/Subtracting rational expressions
8y - 3/y + 7 - 4y - 1/y + 7

Answer by solver91311(24713) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I think you mean: %28%288y+-+3%29%2F%28y+%2B+7%29%29+-+%28%284y+-+1%29%2F%28y+%2B+7%29%29. Please use parentheses in the future so that it is clear what goes into your numerators and what goes into your denominators. As written your problem could be interpreted as 8y+-+3%2Fy+%2B+7+-+4y+-+1%2Fy+%2B+7 which is a very different problem indeed.

Continuing with my original assumption:

%28%288y+-+3%29%2F%28y+%2B+7%29%29+-+%28%284y+-+1%29%2F%28y+%2B+7%29%29

Both fractions have the same denominator, so you can combine the numerators directly:

%288y+-+3-%284y-1%29%29%2F%28y+%2B+7%29.

Eliminate the parentheses by using the distributive property:

%288y+-+3+-+4y+%2B+1%29%2F%28y+%2B+7%29

Combine like terms:

%284y-2%29%2F%28y%2B7%29

Done. You cannot simplify further.