There are values A and B such that
(Bx - 11)/(x^2 - 7x + 10) = A/(x - 2) + 8/(x - 5)
Find A+B.
Bx−11x2−7x+10 = Ax−2+8x−5 Bx−11(x−2)(x−5) = Ax−2+8x−5 Bx−11(x−2)(x−5)⋅(x−2)(x−5) = (Ax−2+8x−5)⋅(x−2)(x−5) Bx−11=A(x−2)(x−5)x−2+8(x−2)(x−5)x−5 Bx−11 = A(x−5) + 8(x−2)
Assuming the previous equation is true for all values of x , it must be true when x = 0 , so we can say:
B(0)−11 = A(0−5)+8(0−2) −11 = A(−5)−16 5 = A(−5) A = −1
And it must also be true when x = 5 so we can say:
B(5)−11 = A(5−5)+8(5−2) 5B−11 = 24 5B = 35 B = 7
So A + B = -1 + 7 = 6
(BTW even if the 8 and the B are swapped you can still apply this same method to solve it!)