How do you simplify #\frac{x-5y}{x+y}+\frac{x+7y}{x+y}#?

1 Answer

#(x - 5y)/(x + y) + (x + 7y)/(x + y) = 2#

Explanation:

Because the denominators are the same, one can just add the numerators over the common denominator:

#(x - 5y + x + 7y)/(x + y) = (2x + 2y)/(x + y)#

Factor out #(x + y)# from the numerator:

# (2(x + y))/((x + y)) = 2#

The simplest form is:

#(x - 5y)/(x + y) + (x + 7y)/(x + y) = 2#