Rational Expressions and Partial Fraction Decomposition

SOLVING RATIONAL EXPRESSIONS AND PARTIAL FRACTION DECOMPOSITION

In previous algebra courses, you learned various techniques for solving a variety of types of equations. The solutions to an equation often take on many values. When the equations involve rational quantities (fractional expressions with variable denominators), there may not only be one or many solutions, but infinite sets of “non-solutions” where certain values cause the equation to take on illegal values. In this unit, we will review techniques for solving rational equations, and then examine a process (which later becomes useful in Calculus) for separating a rational expression into its constituent components. We will also define the meaning of “Degree of a Polynomial” and how it relates to the “Fundamental Theorem of Algebra”.