Combine and simplify

[Steph Annie]

Hi there!

I am working on a problem and wondered if someone could take a look at it and tell me if it's corrrect.

"Combine and simplify, expressing the answers in lowest terms."

5 over x+3
plus 4 over x
(or 5/x+3 plus 4/x)
"/" represents the fraction bar)

So again, it 5/x+3 PLUS 4/x

I hope that is clear and not confusing as I can't write it with the fraction bar like it looks on paper.

THIS is what I did:

Found the LCD. = x(x+3)
And multiplied the LCD by both numerators and denominators for the expression 5x+4x+12 in the numerator and
x(x+3) in the denominator and then I combined the expression in the numerator for 9x + 12/x(x+3)
THEN I factored the numerator of 9x +12 out:
as 3(3x+4)
over x(x+3)

I've stopped here as it looks like the answer is in lowest terms. Is this correct?

THANK YOU!!

 

[DrPhil]

Hi there!

I am working on a problem and wondered if someone could take a look at it and tell me if it's corrrect.

"Combine and simplify, expressing the answers in lowest terms."

5 over x+3
plus 4 over x
(or 5/x+3 plus 4/x)
"/" represents the fraction bar)

So again, it 5/x+3 PLUS 4/x

I hope that is clear and not confusing as I can't write it with the fraction bar like it looks on paper.

THIS is what I did:

Found the LCD. = x(x+3)
And multiplied the LCD by both numerators and denominators for the expression 5x+4x+12 in the numerator and
x(x+3) in the denominator and then I combined the expression in the numerator for 9x + 12/x(x+3)
THEN I factored the numerator of 9x +12 out:
as 3(3x+4)
over x(x+3)

I've stopped here as it looks like the answer is in lowest terms. Is this correct?

THANK YOU!!

Looks good to me.

When typing inline using "/" for fractions, it is essential that you add "extra" parentheses for the numerator and denominator, to make the order of operations correct:

5/(x+3) + 4/x = 3(x+4)/[x(x+3)]