How do you simplify (x^2-3x-10)/(x^2-8x+15) * (x^2+5x-6)/(x^2+4x+4)?

1 Answer
May 26, 2015

Let's start by factoring all of the expressions:

(x^2-3x-10)/(x^2-8x+15) * (x^2+5x-6)/(x^2+4x+4)

((x-5)(x+2))/((x-5)(x-3)) * ((x+6)(x-1))/((x+2)(x+2)

We can cancel out (x-5) and (x+2).

((x+6)(x-1))/((x-3)(x+2)

FOILing in back in gives us:

(x^2 + 6x - x -6)/(x^2 -3x + 2x -6)

(x^2 + 5x -6)/(x^2 -x- 6)