12xy / 15x: Would the answer be 4y/5 or 4x^2 y / 5 ?

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rexll5

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Jun 12, 2016
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12xy /
15x ( 12 xy Over 15x )

Would the answer be

4y/5

or 4x^2 y / 5
 
rexll5 said:
\(\displaystyle \mbox{Simplify: }\, \dfrac{12xy}{15x}\)

Would the answer be

. . . . .\(\displaystyle \dfrac{4y}{5}\)

or

. . . . .\(\displaystyle \dfrac{4x^2y}{5}\)
Click to expand...
You started with this:

. . . . .\(\displaystyle \dfrac{12xy}{15x}\, =\, \left(\dfrac{12}{15}\right)\, \left(\dfrac{xy}{x}\right)\)

In each of your proposed answers, you simplified the numerical parts as:

. . . . .\(\displaystyle \dfrac{12}{15}\, =\, \dfrac{3\, \times\, 4}{3\, \times\, 5}\, =\, \dfrac{4}{5}\)

In particular, the "5" from the "15" stayed in the denominator. On what basis have you, in the second of your two answers, moved the "x" from the denominator into the numerator? ;)
 
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