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In algebra, the partial fraction decomposition or partial fraction expansion of a rational fraction (that is, a fraction such that the numerator and the denominator are both polynomials) is an operation that consists of expressing the fraction as a sum of a polynomial (possibly zero) and one or several fractions with a simpler denominator.
Animation depicting the process of completing the square. (Details, animated GIF version)In elementary algebra, completing the square is a technique for converting a quadratic polynomial of the form + + to the form + for some values of and . [1]
For example, the polynomial x 2 y 2 + 3x 3 + 4y has degree 4, the same degree as the term x 2 y 2. However, a polynomial in variables x and y , is a polynomial in x with coefficients which are polynomials in y , and also a polynomial in y with coefficients which are polynomials in x .
The polynomial 3x 2 − 5x + 4 is written in descending powers of x. The first term has coefficient 3, indeterminate x, and exponent 2. In the second term, the coefficient is −5. The third term is a constant. Because the degree of a non-zero polynomial is the largest degree of any one term, this polynomial has degree two. [11]
In the case of two nested square roots, the following theorem completely solves the problem of denesting. [2]If a and c are rational numbers and c is not the square of a rational number, there are two rational numbers x and y such that + = if and only if is the square of a rational number d.
The square of an integer may also be called a square number or a perfect square. In algebra, the operation of squaring is often generalized to polynomials, other expressions, or values in systems of mathematical values other than the numbers. For instance, the square of the linear polynomial x + 1 is the quadratic polynomial (x + 1) 2 = x 2 ...
Two other solutions are x = 3, y = 6, z = 1, and x = 8, y = 9, z = 2. There is a unique plane in three-dimensional space which passes through the three points with these coordinates , and this plane is the set of all points whose coordinates are solutions of the equation.
A method analogous to piece-wise linear approximation but using only arithmetic instead of algebraic equations, uses the multiplication tables in reverse: the square root of a number between 1 and 100 is between 1 and 10, so if we know 25 is a perfect square (5 × 5), and 36 is a perfect square (6 × 6), then the square root of a number greater than or equal to 25 but less than 36, begins with ...