Question

In the expression above, a, b, c, and d are non-zero constants, and ad=bc. What is the value of (a + b) / (c + d)?

a) 1
b) ab/cd
c) cd/ab
d) Not determinable from the given information

Answer 1

Given ad = bc and a, b, c, d are non-zero constants, the value of (a + b) / (c + d) simplifies to 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking for the value of the expression (a + b) / (c + d), given that a, b, c, and d are non-zero constants and that ad = bc. Since we have this relationship between these constants, we can substitute d with bc/a in the expression to simplify it:

(a + b) / (c + bc/a)

By finding a common denominator, we can rewrite the expression as follows:

(a + b) / ((ac + bc) / a)

This simplifies to:

(a(a + b))/(ac + bc) = (a + b)/(c + b)

Since the terms a + b cancel out, we are left with:

1

Hence, the value of the expression (a + b) / (c + d) is 1 when ad = bc and none of the constants are zero.