Simplifying Algebraic Fractions: Common Factors

Transcript

Okay let’s do the same thing but as I said guys, factorize anything if you can by taking out common factors. Here, 3 is common! Here, x is common! So I just took them out as common factors. That’s the first thing I always want to do. Now let’s factorize the numerators by using our quadratics. So x and x, 9 it will be 3 and 3. So 3x plus 3x is 6x which is exactly right.

Now over here, I’m going to use x and x and I’m going to use negative 3. I’m going to use negative negative because that’s negative. So that’s negative 3 and negative 3. So if you add them together we get negative 6x which is that. So now the numerators I can make it x plus 3, x plus 3 for here, and x minus 3, x minus 3 for here.

And let’s cross anything out! This and this is common! That and that is common! x minus 3x minus 3 is common! Nothing else! So we’ve just got x plus 3 on the numerator and 3 and x on the denominator like that. That is the answer. Nice and Simple.