How do you divide (2x^4+7)/(x^2-1)2x4+7x21?

2 Answers
Jul 25, 2017

Simple. You just need to figure the answer by using the basic concepts of algebra, the order of operations, and a little but synthetic division.

Explanation:

(2x^4+7)/(x^2-1)2x4+7x21

Use long division to figure out the answer to the question. You just need divide it like in arithmetic and simplify it the same way.

Answer:
2x^2+2+5/(x^2-1)2x2+2+5x21

Jul 25, 2017

(2x^4+7)/(x^2-1) = 2x^2+2+9/(x^2-1)2x4+7x21=2x2+2+9x21

Explanation:

Here are three ways...

We can achieve something of the effect of long division by splitting off multiples of the denominator from the numerator as follows:

(2x^4+7)/(x^2-1) = (2x^4-2x^2+2x^2+7)/(x^2-1)2x4+7x21=2x42x2+2x2+7x21

color(white)((2x^4+7)/(x^2-1)) = (2x^2(x^2-1)+2x^2+7)/(x^2-1)2x4+7x21=2x2(x21)+2x2+7x21

color(white)((2x^4+7)/(x^2-1)) = (2x^2(x^2-1)+2x^2-2+9)/(x^2-1)2x4+7x21=2x2(x21)+2x22+9x21

color(white)((2x^4+7)/(x^2-1)) = (2x^2(x^2-1)+2(x^2-1)+9)/(x^2-1)2x4+7x21=2x2(x21)+2(x21)+9x21

color(white)((2x^4+7)/(x^2-1)) = ((2x^2+2)(x^2-1)+9)/(x^2-1)2x4+7x21=(2x2+2)(x21)+9x21

color(white)((2x^4+7)/(x^2-1)) = ((2x^2+2)(color(red)(cancel(color(black)(x^2-1)))))/(color(red)(cancel(color(black)(x^2-1))))+9/(x^2-1)

color(white)((2x^4+7)/(x^2-1)) = 2x^2+2+9/(x^2-1)

If you prefer, you can write it as long division of polynomials. One shortcut in this example is to notice that there are no terms of odd degree. So we can omit terms of odd degree in what we write:

color(white)(x^2 - 1) color(white)(X) color(white)(|) underline(color(white)(X) 2x^2 + 2 color(white)(XXXX))
x^2 - 1 color(white)(X) | color(white)(X) 2x^4 + 0x^2 + 7
color(white)(x^2 - 1) color(white)(X) color(white)(|) color(white)(X) underline(2x^4 - 2x^2)
color(white)(x^2 - 1) color(white)(X) color(white)(|) color(white)(X) color(white)(2x^4 -) 2x^2+ 7
color(white)(x^2 - 1) color(white)(X) color(white)(|) color(white)(X) color(white)(2x^4 -) underline(2x^2-2)
color(white)(x^2 - 1) color(white)(X) color(white)(|) color(white)(X) color(white)(2x^4 - 2x^2-) 9

Alternatively, write out the answer term by term, working out what you need next...

(2x^4+7) = (x^2-1)(...

The first term must be 2x^2 which multiplied by x^2 givens the leading term 2x^4:

(2x^4+7) = (x^2-1)(2x^2...

Note that (-1)(2x^2) = -2x^2, which we need to cancel out. Choose the next term 2 so that when multiplied by x^2 gives 2x^2:

(2x^4+7) = (x^2-1)(2x^2+2)...

Note that (-1)(2) = -2, but we want 7, so we need to add 9:

(2x^4+7) = (x^2-1)(2x^2+2)+9

Hence:

(2x^4+7)/(x^2-1) = 2x^2+2+9/(x^2-1)