Equivalent Expressions: Which expression is equivalent to (x^2 - 2x - 37) / (x^2 - 3x - 40)?

goatthecat said:
How do I find the answer to this
Click to expand...
Hi goatthecat. One way is to use polynomial longhand division to divide x^2–2x–37 by x^2–3x–40. The resulting quotient is one of the multiple choices listed.

I'm assuming that you are a student and this exercise is part of your homework. If either of those assumptions are not true, then please clarify for us. Otherwise, please post your attempt, so that we can see what you're trying. Thanks!

:)

Posting Guidelines (Summary)

Welcome to our tutoring boards! :) This page summarizes main points from our posting guidelines. As our name implies, we provide math help (primarily to students with homework). We do not generally post immediate answers or step-by-step solutions. We don't do your homework. We prefer to help...
www.freemathhelp.com
 
Cubist said:
A shortcut might be available. Does each option give a different result if you put x=0?
Click to expand...
Although, you are 100% correct about trying your trick (I do this all the time), the author did not want you to plug in 0 for x.
To OP: using the trick which Cubist suggested you could rule out some of the choices. With the remaining choices now plug in x=1.
 
Steven G said:
Although, you are 100% correct about trying your trick (I do this all the time), the author did not want you to plug in 0 for x.
To OP: using the trick which Cubist suggested you could rule out some of the choices. With the remaining choices now plug in x=1.
Click to expand...

@ Steven G -- You cannot claim that at the end of your last sentence. The original poster asked how to find the answer. In this case, substituting in x = 0 in the original expression gives exactly one of the correct answer choices when the choices have their expressions
substituted for x also. All of the other answer choices get ruled out. More specifically,
when x = 0 is substituted into the four expressions of the four answer choices, it
produces four different values.

What is unclear for the multiple choice questions is if any supporting work has
to be shown for credit.
 
Last edited:
lookagain said:
@ Steven G -- You cannot claim that at the end of your last sentence. The original poster asked how to find the answer. In this case, substituting in x = 0 in the original expression gives exactly one of the correct answer choices when the choices have their expressions
substituted for x also. All of the other answer choices get ruled out. More specifically,
when x = 0 is substituted into the four expressions of the four answer choices, it
produces four different values.

What is unclear for the multiple choice questions is if any supporting work has
to be shown for credit.
Click to expand...
Initially I got 3 out of the 4 choices having the same results. I have no idea how I messed up so badly.
 
Steven G said:
Initially I got 3 out of the 4 choices having the same results. I have no idea how I messed up so badly.
Click to expand...
People with some algebra skill aren't always good at arithmetic ;) Myself included :ROFLMAO:

It's good to be aware of several approaches for solving a problem... and I would recommend that the OP should know how to solve this via poly division too.

Nice post#4 :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top