Introduction
Welcome! It seems as though you are wanting to learn about rational expressions. Good news! You've come to the right place. Within this short webquest, I will give the steps, procedures, and tips of doing them.
Task
Once we get to the end of this webquest, I am 100% confident you will be able to solve rational expressions. Using resources like Purplemath, Khanacademy, or mathisfun, we will be learning about the steps to take to solve them. Inserted is an example of what type of expressions we will be solving.
Process
The class we are learning this for: Algebra II
Our lesson to learn: solving rational expressions
Our objective: to be able to solve, simplify, and rewrite them with confidence
Simplifying: Cancel off common numerical factors within the fraction. Within this expression, the common factor is x. Due to that, we cancel out the X.
Once we do that, we are left with 2 over X.
Think about it: What would we do if we had 3x over 9? We would get the common factor (3) and divide them both by that. This would leave us with x over 3. What about 5x-15 over 10? Easy again! Just divide top and bottom by five. This leaves us with x-3 over 2. Lets try a hard one now. If we had 12x+36 over 24, what would we do? Easy peasy! Just divide top and bottom by 12. This gives us x+3 over 2. As you can see, as long as the top and bottom share a common factor, its as easy as one, two, three!
Solving:
If we get a problem more difficult, like a fraction over a fraction, things can seem like a lost hope. Worry not, its still just as easy! If we have 3x+6 over 9 OVER 12x+6 over 9, we write out our fractions on a seperate piece of paper.
Once we have our problem written out, we factor out the common factors. Top and bottom both share a three, so we are left with x+2 over 3 OVER 4x+2 over 3. After that, we multiply the top and bottom fractions (flipping the bottom fraction in the process.)
Now we have x+2 over 3 multiplied by 3 over 4x+2. Top and bottom both have a three, so we get rid of it. This leaves us with x+2 over 4x+2. Cross out the two's and we are left with x over 4x. See? Not hard at all! If you need help, feel free to go to the websites linked in the 'task' tab of this webquest.
Evaluation
Congrats, you've learned how to simplify and solve rational expressions. You can also solve tougher expressions too! Just remember to flip the bottom fraction if you have a fraction over a fraction. If you have more questions, you can use the resources listed in the 'credits' tab of this webquest. You thoguth solving rational expressions would be tough, didn't you? Not at all! Always, always, ALWAYS ask your teacher if you have questions or are confused about a part of your lesson. If you dont, you may be derailed and wind up with the wrong answer, with no idea on where you went wrong.
Credits
Created and made by: Sean Cullen
Lesson information from:
http://www.purplemath.com/modules/rtnldefs2.htm
http://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/rational-expression.html and
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra2/rational-expressions/simplify…
(with influence from my Algebra II teacher, Ms. Honeywell)