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Determine whether f(x)= x^2-2x-3/ x^2+3x+2 has any holes. If it does, give the coordinates.

Determine whether f(x)= x^2-2x-3/ x^2+3x+2 has any holes. If it does, give the coordinates-example-1
User Bob Brinks
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To determine whether the function f(x) = (x^2-2x-3)/(x^2+3x+2) has any holes, we can factor the numerator and denominator and simplify the expression. The numerator can be factored as:

x^2 - 2x - 3 = (x - 3)(x + 1)

And the denominator can be factored as:

x^2 + 3x + 2 = (x + 1)(x + 2)

Therefore, we can simplify the function as:

f(x) = [(x - 3)(x + 1)]/[(x + 1)(x + 2)]

The factor of (x + 1) appears in both the numerator and denominator, so we can simplify further by canceling it out:

f(x) = (x - 3)/(x + 2)

Since (x + 1) was canceled out, we have a hole in the graph of the original function at x = -1. To find the coordinates of the hole, we can evaluate the simplified function at x = -1:

f(-1) = (-1 - 3)/(-1 + 2) = -4

Therefore, the hole in the graph of the original function is located at the point (-1, -4).

User Karim Manaouil
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