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jmc

algebra senior

Problem

Simplify and rationalize the denominator. The result can be expressed in the form , where and are integers. What is the value of the sum ?
Solution
Rationalizing each of the two fractions on its own will make creating a common denominator easier. For the first fraction, if we recognize the denominator as , then that means multiplying the numerator and denominator by will leave us with 2 in the denominator: For the second fraction, we have . Now we find a common denominator: So, matching our answer with the form in the problem, we get that and , which means .
Final answer
5