How do you solve #-\frac { 4a } { a + 8} = \frac { 12} { a - 13}#?
2 Answers
Feb 28, 2017
Cross multiply the fractions to get the answer.
Explanation:
#-(4a) / (a+8) = 12 / (a-13)# (Rewrite the equation)#12(-a-8) = -4a(a-13)# (Cross multiply)#-12a-96 = -4a^2+52a# (Simplify)#4a^2-64a-96=0# (Set the equation equal to 0)#4(a^2-16-24)=0# (Factor out the 4)#a=16+-sqrt(256+96)/2# (Simplify using the quadratic formula)#a=6+-(4sqrt(22))/2# (Simplify)#a=6+-2sqrt(22)# (Final answer)
Feb 28, 2017
Explanation:
Whenever you have an equation which has ONE term on each side and the term is a fraction, you can get rid of the fractions by cross-multiplying.