Wikipedia / Algebraic fraction
Wikipedia / Algebraic fraction
In algebra, an algebraic fraction is a fraction whose numerator and denominator are algebraic expressions. Algebraic fractions are subject to the same laws as arithmetic fractions.
A rational fraction is an algebraic fraction whose numerator and denominator are both polynomials because the numerator contains a square root function.
Terminology
, the dividend a is called the numerator and the divisor b is called the denominator. The numerator and denominator are called the terms of the algebraic fraction.
A complex fraction is a fraction whose numerator or denominator, or both, contains a fraction. A simple fraction contains no fraction either in its numerator or its denominator. A fraction is in lowest terms if the only factor common to the numerator and the denominator is 1.
An expression which is not in fractional form is an integral expression. An integral expression can always be written in fractional form by giving it the denominator 1. A mixed expression is the algebraic sum of one or more integral expressions and one or more fractional terms.
Rational fractions
If the expressions a and b are polynomials, the algebraic fraction is called a rational algebraic fraction or simply rational fraction. is called proper, and improper are improper. Any improper rational fraction can be expressed as the sum of a polynomial (possibly constant) and a proper rational fraction. In the first example of an improper fraction one has
where the second term is a proper rational fraction. The sum of two proper rational fractions is a proper rational fraction as well. The reverse process of expressing a proper rational fraction as the sum of two or more fractions is called resolving it into partial fractions. For example,
Here, the two terms on the right are called partial fractions.
Irrational fractions
An irrational fraction is one that contains the variable under a fractional exponent. An example of an irrational fraction is
The process of transforming an irrational fraction to a rational fraction is known as rationalization. Every irrational fraction in which the radicals are monomials may be rationalized by finding the least common multiple to obtain