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# assuming that x isnt equal to 1/2 simplify 8x^2 - 4x / 4x - 2

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assuming that x isnt equal to 1/2 simplify 8x^2 - 4x / 4x - 2

Jul 1, 2022

#1
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8x^2 - 4x / 4x - 2 = 8x^2 - 1 - 2 = 8x^2 - 3.

Jul 1, 2022
#2
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assuming that x isnt equal to 1/2 simplify 8x^2 - 4x / 4x - 2

Wouldn't that just be 2x

Maybe I'm wrong but I'm visualizing that (2x)(4x – 2) = 8x2 – 4x

Okay, I see what the first guest did.

I assumed that (8x2 – 4x) quantity is the numerator

and that (4x – 2) quantity is the denominator.

Hard to tell what the problem is asking for.

.

Jul 1, 2022
#3
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I agree with your interpretation, Ron:

It’s a quadratic expression divided by a linear expression.

$$\large \frac{8x^2 - 4x} {4x – 2} \rightarrow 2x$$     This is implied by the exception "that x isnt equal to 1/2" (sic).

However, because it is written in ASCII SLOP it needs parenthetical operators to confirm this, else it can (and should) be strictly interpreted as:

$$\large 8x^2 – 4*\frac{x}{4}* x – 2 \rightarrow 7x^2 -2$$

Both the forum’s calculator and Wolfram Alpha interpret the expression using Formal ASCII Mathematical Hierarchy.  There are good reasons why ASCII Mathematical Hierarchy was formalized by mathematicians, engineers, and computer scientists. ASCII was developed to communicate with computers, not to teach math to humans; Eventually its use evolved into communicating with humans ...and genetically enhanced Chimps...and along with it came ambiguity because the composers or the readers do not know the Mathematical Hierarchy.

Of course computers can be programmed to make assumptions –ignoring hierarchy; so there are online algebra solvers that will simplify or solve it as a quadratic expression divided by a linear expression, without the use of parenthetical operators.

GA

--. .-

GingerAle  Jul 2, 2022