Basic Math Examples

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{6 + 2 a - 4 a^{2}}$

Step 1

Simplify the denominator.

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Step 1.1

Factor $2$ out of $6 + 2 a - 4 a^{2}$ .

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Step 1.1.1

Factor $2$ out of $6$ .

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 \cdot 3 + 2 a - 4 a^{2}}$

Step 1.1.2

Factor $2$ out of $- 4 a^{2}$ .

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 \cdot 3 + 2 a + 2 (- 2 a^{2})}$

Step 1.1.3

Factor $2$ out of $2 \cdot 3 + 2 a$ .

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 \cdot (3 + a) + 2 (- 2 a^{2})}$

Step 1.1.4

Factor $2$ out of $2 \cdot (3 + a) + 2 (- 2 a^{2})$ .

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (3 + a - 2 a^{2})}$

Step 1.2

Factor by grouping.

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Step 1.2.1

Reorder terms.

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (- 2 a^{2} + a + 3)}$

Step 1.2.2

For a polynomial of the form $a x^{2} + b x + c$ , rewrite the middle term as a sum of two terms whose product is $a \cdot c = - 2 \cdot 3 = - 6$ and whose sum is $b = 1$ .

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Step 1.2.2.1

Multiply by $1$ .

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (- 2 a^{2} + 1 a + 3)}$

Step 1.2.2.2

Rewrite $1$ as $- 2$ plus $3$

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (- 2 a^{2} + (- 2 + 3) a + 3)}$

Step 1.2.2.3

Apply the distributive property.

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (- 2 a^{2} - 2 a + 3 a + 3)}$

Step 1.2.3

Factor out the greatest common factor from each group.

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Step 1.2.3.1

Group the first two terms and the last two terms.

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 ((- 2 a^{2} - 2 a) + 3 a + 3)}$

Step 1.2.3.2

Factor out the greatest common factor (GCF) from each group.

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (2 a (- a - 1) - 3 (- a - 1))}$

Step 1.2.4

Factor the polynomial by factoring out the greatest common factor, $- a - 1$ .

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 ((- a - 1) (2 a - 3))}$

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 2

To write $\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3}$ as a fraction with a common denominator, multiply by $\frac{2 (- a - 1)}{2 (- a - 1)}$ .

$\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3} \cdot \frac{2 (- a - 1)}{2 (- a - 1)} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 3

Write each expression with a common denominator of $(2 a - 3) \cdot 2 (- a - 1)$ , by multiplying each by an appropriate factor of $1$ .

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Step 3.1

Multiply $\frac{a - 1}{2 a - 3}$ by $\frac{2 (- a - 1)}{2 (- a - 1)}$ .

$\frac{(a - 1) (2 (- a - 1))}{(2 a - 3) (2 (- a - 1))} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 3.2

Reorder the factors of $(2 a - 3) (2 (- a - 1))$ .

$\frac{(a - 1) (2 (- a - 1))}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)} + \frac{3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 4

Combine the numerators over the common denominator.

$\frac{(a - 1) (2 (- a - 1)) + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5

Simplify the numerator.

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Step 5.1

Apply the distributive property.

$\frac{(a \cdot 2 - 1 \cdot 2) (- a - 1) + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.2

Move $2$ to the left of $a$ .

$\frac{(2 \cdot a - 1 \cdot 2) (- a - 1) + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.3

Multiply $- 1$ by $2$ .

$\frac{(2 \cdot a - 2) (- a - 1) + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.4

Expand $(2 a - 2) (- a - 1)$ using the FOIL Method.

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Step 5.4.1

Apply the distributive property.

$\frac{2 a (- a - 1) - 2 (- a - 1) + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.4.2

Apply the distributive property.

$\frac{2 a (- a) + 2 a \cdot - 1 - 2 (- a - 1) + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.4.3

Apply the distributive property.

$\frac{2 a (- a) + 2 a \cdot - 1 - 2 (- a) - 2 \cdot - 1 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.5

Simplify and combine like terms.

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Step 5.5.1

Simplify each term.

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Step 5.5.1.1

Rewrite using the commutative property of multiplication.

$\frac{2 \cdot - 1 a \cdot a + 2 a \cdot - 1 - 2 (- a) - 2 \cdot - 1 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.5.1.2

Multiply $a$ by $a$ by adding the exponents.

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Step 5.5.1.2.1

Move $a$ .

$\frac{2 \cdot - 1 (a \cdot a) + 2 a \cdot - 1 - 2 (- a) - 2 \cdot - 1 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.5.1.2.2

Multiply $a$ by $a$ .

$\frac{2 \cdot - 1 a^{2} + 2 a \cdot - 1 - 2 (- a) - 2 \cdot - 1 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.5.1.3

Multiply $2$ by $- 1$ .

$\frac{- 2 a^{2} + 2 a \cdot - 1 - 2 (- a) - 2 \cdot - 1 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.5.1.4

Multiply $- 1$ by $2$ .

$\frac{- 2 a^{2} - 2 a - 2 (- a) - 2 \cdot - 1 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.5.1.5

Multiply $- 1$ by $- 2$ .

$\frac{- 2 a^{2} - 2 a + 2 a - 2 \cdot - 1 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.5.1.6

Multiply $- 2$ by $- 1$ .

$\frac{- 2 a^{2} - 2 a + 2 a + 2 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.5.2

Add $- 2 a$ and $2 a$ .

$\frac{- 2 a^{2} + 0 + 2 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.5.3

Add $- 2 a^{2}$ and $0$ .

$\frac{- 2 a^{2} + 2 + 3 a - 7}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 5.6

Subtract $7$ from $2$ .

$\frac{- 2 a^{2} + 3 a - 5}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6

Simplify terms.

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Step 6.1

Factor $- 1$ out of $- 2 a^{2}$ .

$\frac{- (2 a^{2}) + 3 a - 5}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.2

Factor $- 1$ out of $3 a$ .

$\frac{- (2 a^{2}) - (- 3 a) - 5}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.3

Factor $- 1$ out of $- (2 a^{2}) - (- 3 a)$ .

$\frac{- (2 a^{2} - 3 a) - 5}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.4

Rewrite $- 5$ as $- 1 (5)$ .

$\frac{- (2 a^{2} - 3 a) - 1 (5)}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.5

Factor $- 1$ out of $- (2 a^{2} - 3 a) - 1 (5)$ .

$\frac{- (2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5)}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.6

Rewrite $- (2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5)$ as $- 1 (2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5)$ .

$\frac{- 1 (2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5)}{2 (- a - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.7

Factor $- 1$ out of $- a$ .

$\frac{- 1 (2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5)}{2 (- (a) - 1) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.8

Rewrite $- 1$ as $- 1 (1)$ .

$\frac{- 1 (2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5)}{2 (- (a) - 1 (1)) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.9

Factor $- 1$ out of $- (a) - 1 (1)$ .

$\frac{- 1 (2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5)}{2 (- (a + 1)) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.10

Rewrite $- (a + 1)$ as $- 1 (a + 1)$ .

$\frac{- 1 (2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5)}{2 (- 1 (a + 1)) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.11

Cancel the common factor.

$\frac{- 1 (2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5)}{2 (- 1 (a + 1)) (2 a - 3)}$

Step 6.12

Rewrite the expression.

$\frac{2 a^{2} - 3 a + 5}{2 (a + 1) (2 a - 3)}$