Problem 43

Question

Add or subtract as indicated. Simplify the result, if possible. $$\frac{7}{x-1}-\frac{3}{(x-1)^{2}}$$

Step-by-Step Solution

Verified
Answer
The simplified form of the expression is \(\frac{7x-10}{(x-1)^2}\).
1Step 1: Identify the Common Denominator
Observe that the denominator \((x-1)^2\) can be written as \((x-1) * (x-1)\). This fact aligns the denominator of the second fraction with the first fraction. We can then rewrite the second fraction to have the same denominator as the first fraction i.e., \((x-1)\).
2Step 2: Rewrite the Fraction
Rewrite the second fraction as \(\frac{3}{(x-1) * (x-1)}\) which equals to \(\frac{3/(x-1)}{x-1}\).
3Step 3: Perform the subtraction
Now we can subtract the two fractions as their denominators are same, \(\frac{7}{x-1}\) - \(\frac{3/(x-1)}{x-1}\). Which can be further simplified as \(\frac{7x-10}{(x-1)^2}\).