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jmc

algebra junior

Problem

Let . What is ?
Solution
Looking at the definition of , we see that Both the numerator and denominator share a common factor of ab, so Thus, regardless of what a and b are (as long as neither are zero), will always be 2. Looking at the given expression, a and b are never zero. Thus whatever the values of a and b, the expression will always evaluate to 2. Thus, the expression simplifies to
Final answer
2