Algebra Examples

$\frac{1}{a - b} + \frac{4}{b - a} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{b^{2} - a^{2}}$

Step 1

Since both terms are perfect squares, factor using the difference of squares formula, $a^{2} - b^{2} = (a + b) (a - b)$ where $a = b$ and $b = a$ .

$\frac{1}{a - b} + \frac{4}{b - a} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 2

Simplify terms.

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Step 2.1

Factor $- 1$ out of $b$ .

$\frac{1}{a - b} + \frac{4}{- 1 (- b) - a} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 2.2

Factor $- 1$ out of $- a$ .

$\frac{1}{a - b} + \frac{4}{- 1 (- b) - (a)} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 2.3

Factor $- 1$ out of $- 1 (- b) - (a)$ .

$\frac{1}{a - b} + \frac{4}{- 1 (- b + a)} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 2.4

Simplify the expression.

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Step 2.4.1

Move a negative from the denominator of $\frac{4}{- 1 (- b + a)}$ to the numerator.

$\frac{1}{a - b} + \frac{- 1 \cdot 4}{- b + a} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 2.4.2

Reorder terms.

$\frac{1}{a - b} + \frac{- 1 \cdot 4}{a - b} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 2.5

Combine the numerators over the common denominator.

$\frac{1 - 1 \cdot 4}{a - b} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 3

Simplify the numerator.

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Step 3.1

Multiply $- 1$ by $4$ .

$\frac{1 - 4}{a - b} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 3.2

Subtract $4$ from $1$ .

$\frac{- 3}{a - b} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 4

Move the negative in front of the fraction.

$- \frac{3}{a - b} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 5

To write $- \frac{3}{a - b}$ as a fraction with a common denominator, multiply by $\frac{a + b}{a + b}$ .

$- \frac{3}{a - b} \cdot \frac{a + b}{a + b} - \frac{8}{a + b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 6

To write $- \frac{8}{a + b}$ as a fraction with a common denominator, multiply by $\frac{a - b}{a - b}$ .

$- \frac{3}{a - b} \cdot \frac{a + b}{a + b} - \frac{8}{a + b} \cdot \frac{a - b}{a - b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 7

Write each expression with a common denominator of $(a - b) (a + b)$ , by multiplying each by an appropriate factor of $1$ .

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Step 7.1

Multiply $\frac{3}{a - b}$ by $\frac{a + b}{a + b}$ .

$- \frac{3 (a + b)}{(a - b) (a + b)} - \frac{8}{a + b} \cdot \frac{a - b}{a - b} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 7.2

Multiply $\frac{8}{a + b}$ by $\frac{a - b}{a - b}$ .

$- \frac{3 (a + b)}{(a - b) (a + b)} - \frac{8 (a - b)}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 7.3

Reorder the factors of $(a - b) (a + b)$ .

$- \frac{3 (a + b)}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{8 (a - b)}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 8

Combine the numerators over the common denominator.

$\frac{- 3 (a + b) - 8 (a - b)}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 9

Simplify each term.

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Step 9.1

Simplify the numerator.

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Step 9.1.1

Factor $- 1$ out of $- 3 (a + b) - 8 (a - b)$ .

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Step 9.1.1.1

Factor $- 1$ out of $- 3 (a + b)$ .

$\frac{- (3 (a + b)) - 8 (a - b)}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 9.1.1.2

Factor $- 1$ out of $- 8 (a - b)$ .

$\frac{- (3 (a + b)) - (8 (a - b))}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 9.1.1.3

Factor $- 1$ out of $- (3 (a + b)) - (8 (a - b))$ .

$\frac{- (3 (a + b) + 8 (a - b))}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 9.1.2

Apply the distributive property.

$\frac{- (3 a + 3 b + 8 (a - b))}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 9.1.3

Apply the distributive property.

$\frac{- (3 a + 3 b + 8 a + 8 (- b))}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 9.1.4

Multiply $- 1$ by $8$ .

$\frac{- (3 a + 3 b + 8 a - 8 b)}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 9.1.5

Add $3 a$ and $8 a$ .

$\frac{- (11 a + 3 b - 8 b)}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 9.1.6

Subtract $8 b$ from $3 b$ .

$\frac{- (11 a - 5 b)}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 9.2

Move the negative in front of the fraction.

$- \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(b + a) (b - a)}$

Step 10

Simplify with factoring out.

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Step 10.1

Reorder terms.

$- \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (b - a)}$

Step 10.2

Factor $- 1$ out of $b$ .

$- \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (- 1 (- b) - a)}$

Step 10.3

Factor $- 1$ out of $- a$ .

$- \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (- 1 (- b) - (a))}$

Step 10.4

Factor $- 1$ out of $- 1 (- b) - (a)$ .

$- \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (- 1 (- b + a))}$

Step 10.5

Reorder terms.

$- \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (- 1 (a - b))}$

Step 11

To write $- \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (a - b)}$ as a fraction with a common denominator, multiply by $\frac{- 1}{- 1}$ .

$- \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (a - b)} \cdot \frac{- 1}{- 1} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (- 1 (a - b))}$

Step 12

Write each expression with a common denominator of $(a + b) (a - b) \cdot - 1$ , by multiplying each by an appropriate factor of $1$ .

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Step 12.1

Multiply $\frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (a - b)}$ by $\frac{- 1}{- 1}$ .

$- \frac{(11 a - 5 b) \cdot - 1}{(a + b) (a - b) \cdot - 1} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (- 1 (a - b))}$

Step 12.2

Reorder the factors of $(a + b) (a - b) \cdot - 1$ .

$- \frac{(11 a - 5 b) \cdot - 1}{- (a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{(a + b) (- 1 (a - b))}$

Step 12.3

Reorder the factors of $(a + b) (- 1 (a - b))$ .

$- \frac{(11 a - 5 b) \cdot - 1}{- (a + b) (a - b)} - \frac{11 a - 5 b}{- (a + b) (a - b)}$

Step 13

Combine the numerators over the common denominator.

$\frac{- (11 a - 5 b) \cdot - 1 - (11 a - 5 b)}{- (a + b) (a - b)}$

Step 14

Simplify the numerator.

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Step 14.1

Factor $- (11 a - 5 b)$ out of $- (11 a - 5 b) \cdot - 1 - (11 a - 5 b)$ .

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Step 14.1.1

Move $11 a - 5 b$ .

$\frac{- 1 \cdot - 1 (11 a - 5 b) - (11 a - 5 b)}{- (a + b) (a - b)}$

Step 14.1.2

Factor $- (11 a - 5 b)$ out of $- 1 \cdot - 1 (11 a - 5 b)$ .

$\frac{- (11 a - 5 b) (- 1) - (11 a - 5 b)}{- (a + b) (a - b)}$

Step 14.1.3

Factor $- (11 a - 5 b)$ out of $- (11 a - 5 b)$ .

$\frac{- (11 a - 5 b) (- 1) - (11 a - 5 b) (1)}{- (a + b) (a - b)}$

Step 14.1.4

Factor $- (11 a - 5 b)$ out of $- (11 a - 5 b) (- 1) - (11 a - 5 b) (1)$ .

$\frac{- (11 a - 5 b) (- 1 + 1)}{- (a + b) (a - b)}$

Step 14.2

Add $- 1$ and $1$ .

$\frac{- (11 a - 5 b) \cdot 0}{- (a + b) (a - b)}$

Step 14.3

Combine exponents.

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Step 14.3.1

Multiply $0$ by $- 1$ .

$\frac{0 (11 a - 5 b)}{- (a + b) (a - b)}$

Step 14.3.2

Multiply $0$ by $11 a - 5 b$ .

$\frac{0}{- (a + b) (a - b)}$

Step 15

Divide $0$ by $- (a + b) (a - b)$ .

$0$