Final answer:
The first step in simplifying a rational expression is to factor its numerator and denominator, which aids in canceling out like terms and reducing the expression to its simplest form.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first step in simplifying a rational expression is to factor its numerator and denominator. Factoring involves rewriting a number or expression as a product of its factors, which can greatly simplify the process of reducing fractions. A rational expression is one that can be expressed as a fraction where both the numerator and the denominator are polynomials.
When simplifying rational expressions, it is crucial to eliminate terms whenever possible. This can be done after factoring, as some factors in the numerator may cancel out with factors in the denominator. It's important to remember that we do not add or subtract the numerators or denominators when simplifying; we factor and then simplify by canceling out like terms.The first step in simplifying a rational expression is to factor its numerator and denominator.In other words, you need to find the common factors in both the numerator and denominator and simplify the expression by dividing both by these common factors.For example, if you have the rational expression (2x^2 + 4x) / (2x), you can factor out 2x from both the numerator and denominator to simplify the expression as (2x(x + 2)) / (2x) = x + 2.