Question: Decompose into separate partial fractions
| Foundations:
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| 1) How many fractions will this decompose into? What are the denominators?
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| 2) How do you solve for the numerators?
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| Answer:
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1) Since each of the factors are linear, and one has multipliclity 2, there will be three denominators. The linear term, , will appear once in the denominator of the decomposition. The other two denominators will be Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle x+3{\text{, and }}(x+3)^{2}}
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| 2) After writing the equality, Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \frac{3x^2 +6x + 7}{(x + 3)^2(x - 1)} = \frac{A}{x - 1} + \frac{B}{x + 3} + \frac{C}{(x + 3)^2}}
, clear the denominators, and evaluate both sides at x = 1, -3, and any third value. Each evaluation will yield the value of one of the three unknowns.
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Solution:
| Step 1:
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| From the factored form of the denominator we can observe that there will be three denominators: Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle x - 1, x + 3}
, and Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle (x + 3)^2}
. So the final answer with have the following form: Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \frac{A}{x - 1} + \frac{B}{x + 3} + \frac{C}{(x + 3)^2}}
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| Step 2:
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| Now we have the equality Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \frac{3x^2 +6x + 7}{(x + 3)^2(x - 1)} = \frac{A}{x - 1} + \frac{B}{x + 3} + \frac{C}{(x + 3)^2}}
. We clear the denominators and end up with Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle A(x + 3)^2 + B(x - 1)(x + 3) + C(x - 1) = 3x^2 + 6x + 7}
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| Step 3:
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| By evaluation both sides by using x = 1, we will zero out the B and C. This leads to Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle A(1 + 3)^2 = 3(1)^2 + 6(1) + 7, 16A = 3 + 6 + 7}
, and finally Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle A = 1}
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| Step 4:
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| Now evaluating at x = -3 to zero out both A and B. This yields the following equations Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle C((-3) - 1) = 3(-3)^2 + 6(-3) + 7}
, Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle -4C = 3(9) - 18 + 7}
, Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle -4C = 27 - 11}
, and Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle C = -4}
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| Step 5:
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| To obtain the value of B we can evaluate x at any value except 1, and -3. We do not want to evaluate at 1 and -3 since both of these will zero out the B. Evaluating at x = 0 will make the arithmetic easier, and gives us Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle A(0 + 3)^2 + B(0 - 1)(0 + 3) + C(0 - 1) = 9A -3B -C = 7}
. However, we know the values of both A and C, which are 1 and -4, respectively. So Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle 9 -3B - (-4) = 7}
, Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle -3B + 13 = 7}
, Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle -3B = -6}
, and finally Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle B = 2}
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| Final Answer:
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| Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \frac{1}{x - 1} + \frac{2}{x + 3} - \frac{4}{(x + 3)^2}}
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