Question

Please explain how I would simplify this

Answer 1

Do you know what the greatest common factor is to combine those fractions?

Answer 2

Sorry for not responding. GCF for the numerator or denominator?

Answer 3

Denominator.

Answer 4

2?

Answer 5

sorry.... i didn't mean GCF... what I meant to say is the Least Common Denominator, LCD.
the LCD of each of those terms is x(x+1)(x+2)

Answer 6

how´d you find that?

Answer 7

it's the same way you'd add/subtract regular fractions.... you need to find the LCD..
for example, to add \(\large \frac{1}{2}+\frac{1}{3} \), the LCD is \(\large 2\cdot3 \) or 6.

Answer 8

oh, ok

Answer 9

so:
\(\large \frac{1}{2}+\frac{1}{3}=\frac{1}{2}\cdot\frac{3}{3}+\frac{1}{3}\cdot\frac{2}{2} =\frac{3}{6}+\frac{2}{6} = \frac{3+2}{6}=\frac{5}{6}\)

this is basically what you'd do to your original problem

Answer 10

so you wanna work it out with me?

Answer 11

yes

Answer 12

so for the first term, \(\large \frac{3}{x} \), to get the denominator to be x(x+1)(x+2), you need to multiply both top and bottom by (x+1)(x+2):
\(\large \frac{3}{x}=\frac{3}{x}\cdot \frac{(x+1)(x+2)}{(x+1)(x+2)}=\frac{3(x+1)(x+2)}{x(x+1)(x+2)} \)

that's it for the first term...

Answer 13

ohh... no one here.... :(