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Study Guides > College Algebra CoRequisite Course

Introduction to Rational Expressions

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, you will be able to:
  • Simplify rational expressions.
  • Multiply and divide rational expressions.
  • Find the least common denominator of two rational expressions.
  • Add and subtract rational expressions.
  • Simplify complex rational expressions.
A pastry shop has fixed costs of [latex]\$280[/latex] per week and variable costs of [latex]\$9[/latex] per box of pastries. The shop’s costs per week in terms of [latex]x[/latex], the number of boxes made, is [latex]280+9x[/latex]. We can divide the costs per week by the number of boxes made to determine the cost per box of pastries.

[latex]\frac{280+9x}{x}[/latex]

Notice that the result is a polynomial expression divided by a second polynomial expression. In this section, we will explore quotients of polynomial expressions.

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  • College Algebra. Provided by: OpenStax Authored by: Abramson, Jay et al.. License: CC BY: Attribution. License terms: Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected].

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