(a⁴-19a²+9)/(a²-5a+3)= ???

4 Answers
Aug 11, 2017

#(a^4-19a^2+9)/(a^2-5a+3)=color(red)(a^2+5a+3)#

Explanation:

Using long polynomial division:
#{: (,ul(color(white)("x")),ul(a^2),ul(+),ul(5a),ul(+),ul(3),ul(color(white)("x")),ul(color(white)("XX")),ul(color(white)("x")),ul(color(white)("X"))), (a^2-5a+3,")",a^4,+,0a^3,-,19a^2,+,0a,+,9), (,,ul(a^4),ul(-),ul(5a^3),ul(+),ul(3a^2),,,,), (,,,,5a^3,-,22a^2,+,0a,,), (,,,,ul(5a^3),ul(-),ul(25a^2),ul(+),ul(15a),,), (,,,,,,3a^2,-,15a,+,9), (,,,,,,ul(3a^2),ul(-),ul(15a),ul(+),ul(9)), (,,,,,,,,,,0) :}#

Aug 11, 2017

# a^2+5a+3.#

Explanation:

In #a^4-19a^2+9,# we split #-19a^2# as #6a^2-25a^2.#

Note that, #6a^2# is the Middle Term required to complete

the Square #a^4+9.#

#:. a^4-19a^2+9=a^4+6a^2+9-25a^2,#

#=(a^2+3)^2-(5a)^2,#

#=(a^2+5a+3)(a^2-5a+3).#

# rArr (a^4-19a^2+9)/(a^2-5a+3)=a^2+5a+3.#

Aug 11, 2017

#a^2+5a+3#

Explanation:

#"one way is to divide out using the divisor as a factor in the"#
#"numerator"#

#"consider the numerator"#

#color(red)(a^2)(a^2-5a+3)color(magenta)(+5a^3-3a^2)-19a^2+9#

#=color(red)(a^2)(a^2-5a+3)color(red)(+5a)(a^2-5a+3)color(magenta)(+25a^2cancel(-15a))cancel(+9)#

#=color(red)(a^2)(a^2-5a+3)color(red)(+5a)(a^2-5a+3)#

#color(white)(=)color(red)(+3)(a^2-5a+3)color(magenta)(cancel(+15a-9))#

#color(red)(a^2)(a^2-5a+3)color(red)(+5a)(a^2-5a+3)color(red)(+3)(a^2-5a+3)+0#

#rArr(cancel((a^2-5a+3))(a^2+5a+3))/cancel((a^2-5a+3))=a^2+5a+3#

Aug 11, 2017

You can find the quotient through long division, or the following nifty trick!

Explanation:

In much the same way that #a/b=c# is the same as #bxxc=a#, if a polynomial #P(a)# satisfies #(a^4-19a^2+9)/(a^2-5a+3)=P(a)#, that same polynomial also satisfies:

#(a^2-5a+3)xxP(a)=(a^4-19a^2+9)#

This #P(a)# is the polynomial we wish to find.

Here's the trick:

(Note: this trick is not meant to require more pen-and-paper work. The following work is meant to illustrate the method; you should be able to do the arithmetic in your head.)

If such a #P(a)# exists, its first term needs to multiply by #a^2# to create the #a^4#. Thus, we must begin our polynomial with #a^4/a^2#, or #a^2#, and the rest of the terms will have lower degree:

#(a^2-5a+3)xx(a^2+color(green)Ba+color(green)C)=(a^4-19a^2+9)#

Because of this, the new #a^2# in #P(a)# will get multiplied by the #-5a# to create a #(–5a^3)# term on the LHS. We don't want this; there is #0a^3# on the right. We need to introduce a term in #P(a)# that cancels this off.

The terms on the LHS that create #a^3# terms on the right are the #(a^2xxBa)# pair and the #(–5axxa^2)# pair. So we want #(a^2xxBa)+(–5axxa^2)# on the LHS to equal #0a^3# on the RHS. This can easily be solved for #B#:

#color(white)=>Ba^3-5a^3=0a^3#
#=>Ba^3"           "=5a^3" "=>" "B=5#

Our equation is now:

#(a^2-5a+3)xx(a^2+5a+color(green)C)=(a^4-19a^2+9)#

We use the same method to find #C#. The pairs on the LHS that create #a^2# terms are #(a^2xxC)#, #(–5axx5a)#, and #(3xxa^2)#. These need to sum to the #–19a^2# on the RHS:

#(a^2xxC)+(–5axx5a)+(3xxa^2)=–19a^2#
#"    "Ca^2"     "-"       "25a^2"    "+"     "3a^2"     "=–19a^2#
#"    "Ca^2"                                                  "="     "3a^2#

Thus, #C=3#.

Our equation is now:

#(a^2-5a+3)xx(a^2+5a+3)=(a^4-19a^2+9)#

We should double-check to make sure this completed LHS produces the RHS exactly. The pairs on the LHS that make #a# terms are #–5axx3# and #3xx5a#. The sum of these is indeed #0a#, which matches the RHS.

The only pair on the LHS that makes a constant term is #3xx3#, which matches the #9# on the RHS.

So that's it! We've found #P(a)# to be #(a^2+5a+3)#.