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Simplify the difference quotients [f(a + h)-f(a)]/h and [f(x)f(a)]/(x-a) for f(x) = 5/2 and a = 2

a) [f(a+h) f(a)]/h
b)[f(x)f(a)]/(x-a)

1 Answer

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Final answer:

To simplify the difference quotients [f(a + h)-f(a)]/h and [f(x)f(a)]/(x-a) for f(x) = 5/2 and a = 2, substitute the given values and perform the calculations.

Step-by-step explanation:

To simplify the difference quotients [f(a + h)-f(a)]/h and [f(x)f(a)]/(x-a) for f(x) = 5/2 and a = 2, we will substitute the given values into the expressions and simplify.

For the expression [f(a + h)-f(a)]/h, we substitute f(x) = 5/2, a = 2, and perform the calculations:

[f(a + h)-f(a)]/h = [(5/2)(2 + h) - (5/2)(2)]/h = (5h/2)/h = 5/2

For the expression [f(x)f(a)]/(x-a), we substitute f(x) = 5/2, f(a) = 5/2, x = a + h, and perform the calculations:

[f(x)f(a)]/(x-a) = [(5/2)(5/2)]/[(a + h) - a] = (25/4)/h = 25/(4h)

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