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Solve the rational equation. Specify its domain.

(4) (2) (32)
--- + --- = ------
(x+5) (x-5) (x²-25)

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

To solve the rational equation, we find a common denominator and multiply by the appropriate factors to eliminate the denominators. The solutions to the equation are x = 5.50 and x = -5.50. The domain of the equation is all real numbers except x = 5 and x = -5.

Step-by-step explanation:


To solve this rational equation, we need to find the common denominator, which is (x+5)(x-5)(x²-25). Then, we can multiply each term by the appropriate factor to get rid of the denominators. After simplifying, we get:

(4)(x-5)(x²-25) + (2)(x+5)(x²-25) = (32)(x+5)(x-5)

Simplifying further:

4(x-5)(x+5)(x²-25) + 2(x+5)(x-5)(x²-25) = 32(x+5)(x-5)

Cancelling out common factors:

4(x²-25) + 2(x²-25) = 32

Expanding and collecting like terms:

4x²-100 + 2x²-50 = 32

Combining like terms:

6x²-150 = 32

Adding 150 to both sides:

6x² = 182

Dividing by 6:

x² = 30.33

Taking the square root of both sides:

x ≈ ±5.50

Therefore, the solutions to this equation are approximately x = 5.50 and x = -5.50.

The domain of this equation is all real numbers except x = 5 and x = -5, which would make the denominators zero.

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