Question

Put your answer in lowest terms, in descending powers of a, and place variables alphabetically:
a^2-b^2/a^3-b^3=________

Answer 1

a^2 - b^2 =(a+b)(a-b)
a^3 - b^3 = (a-b)(a^2 -ab + b^2)
just make these substituions and you should get your ans

Answer 2

What do you mean by make these substitutions, do I factorize them and then put it in alphatebical order?

Answer 3

these are already factorised..
just put the RHS of a^2-b^2 in numerator and RHS of a^3 -b^3 in denominator,,cancel out same terms and voila! you get your ans!

Answer 4

what does RHS stad for?

Answer 5

*stand

Answer 6

right hand side..
like in x=4
x is LHS (left hand side) and 4 is RHS(right hand side)

Answer 7

Okay and do you know how I can factor x^2+4xy+4y^2?

Answer 8

can you tell me the expansion of (x+y)^2 ?

Answer 9

x^2+2xy+y^2 ?

Answer 10

yep..and what if i ask (x + 2y)^2 ?

Answer 11

x^2+4xy+2y^2 ?

Answer 12

bingo!! isnt that what you were looking for?

Answer 13

ohh..not 2y^2,,its (2y)^2 i.e 4y^2

Answer 14

Yeah, that is where I get lost..

Answer 15

so,,you get your answers right?

Answer 16

Could you factorize all the trinomial please? Because if I do it with the 2y all to the ^2 it does not give me a right answer, it just gets all messed up

Answer 17

hmmn,,you want only the answer right?

Answer 18

no, Im saying could you explainn the whole thing

Answer 19

alright,,leme try
in your first ques
we have (a+b)(a-b)/ (a-b)(a^2 -ab +b^2)
=> (a+b)/(a^2 - ab +b^2) --> which i guess should be the ans [note that (a-b) is common and gets cancelled out]
in the second ques..you yourself reached the ans.. it is (x+2y)^2..

Answer 20

Okay, thank you

Answer 21

hmm..glad to have helped ^_^