At Westonci.ca, we connect you with the answers you need, thanks to our active and informed community. Join our platform to connect with experts ready to provide precise answers to your questions in different areas. Discover in-depth answers to your questions from a wide network of professionals on our user-friendly Q&A platform.

For the following equation:

a. Write the value or values of the variable that make a denominator zero. These are the restrictions on the variable.
b. Keeping the restrictions in mind, solve the equation.

[tex]\frac{3}{x+2} - \frac{1}{x-2} = \frac{4x}{x^2-4}[/tex]

a. Write the value or values of the variable that make a denominator zero.
[tex]x = \square[/tex] (Use a comma to separate answers as needed.)


Sagot :

Let's start by identifying the denominators in the given equation:

[tex]\[ \frac{3}{x+2}-\frac{1}{x-2}=\frac{4 x}{x^2-4} \][/tex]

We have three denominators in this equation:
1. \( x + 2 \)
2. \( x - 2 \)
3. \( x^2 - 4 \)

To find the values of \( x \) that make each of these denominators zero, we can set each denominator equal to zero and solve for \( x \).

1. For \( x + 2 = 0 \):
[tex]\[ x + 2 = 0 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ x = -2 \][/tex]

2. For \( x - 2 = 0 \):
[tex]\[ x - 2 = 0 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ x = 2 \][/tex]

3. For \( x^2 - 4 = 0 \):
[tex]\[ x^2 - 4 = 0 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ (x - 2)(x + 2) = 0 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ x = 2 \text{ or } x = -2 \][/tex]

Thus, the values of \( x \) that make the denominators zero are \( x = -2 \) and \( x = 2 \). These are the restrictions on the variable.

So, the values of \( x \) that make a denominator zero are:
[tex]\[ x = -2, 2 \][/tex]

### Part b. Solving the equation with these restrictions in mind:

The given equation is:
[tex]\[ \frac{3}{x+2} - \frac{1}{x-2} = \frac{4x}{x^2-4} \][/tex]

Notice that \( x^2 - 4 \) can be factored as \( (x+2)(x-2) \). Therefore, the right-hand side can be written as:
[tex]\[ \frac{4x}{(x+2)(x-2)} \][/tex]

Now, the equation becomes:
[tex]\[ \frac{3}{x+2} - \frac{1}{x-2} = \frac{4x}{(x+2)(x-2)} \][/tex]

To solve this equation, we perform algebraic steps and then check if the solutions violate any of the restrictions:

By finding a common denominator on the left side of the equation, we have:
[tex]\[ \frac{3(x-2) - 1(x+2)}{(x+2)(x-2)} = \frac{4x}{(x+2)(x-2)} \][/tex]

Simplifying the numerator on the left side:
[tex]\[ \frac{3x - 6 - x - 2}{(x+2)(x-2)} = \frac{4x}{(x+2)(x-2)} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \frac{2x - 8}{(x+2)(x-2)} = \frac{4x}{(x+2)(x-2)} \][/tex]

Multiplying both sides by the common denominator \( (x+2)(x-2) \), we get:
[tex]\[ 2x - 8 = 4x \][/tex]

Solving this for \( x \):
[tex]\[ 2x - 4x = 8 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ -2x = 8 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ x = -4 \][/tex]

Finally, we need to check if \( x = -4 \) violates any of the restrictions. The restrictions are \( x \neq -2 \) and \( x \neq 2 \), and it is clear that \( x = -4 \) does not violate these restrictions.

Therefore, the solution to the equation, considering the restrictions, is:
[tex]\[ x = -4 \][/tex]