Question

Perform the operation and

simplify.
3
x - 3
5
x + 2
-2x + 21
x² + [ ? ]x + [

Answer 1

Answer: -1

Explanation:

Here, we are subtracting two fractions; therefore, we must make the denominators the same by finding the least common multiple. Since we have x - 3 for one denominator and x + 2 for the other, we don't have any common factors. Hence, the least common multiple would be their product.

`(x-3)(x+2)\\x(x-3)+2(x-3)\\x^2-3x+2x-6\\x^2-x-6`

The question is looking for the coefficient of the second term. Since there is just a negative sign in front of the x, the "?" can be filled with either a negative sign or a -1.