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Division of Rational Expressions

To divide rational expressions, multiply the first fraction by the reciprocal of the second — the same strategy used for dividing numerical fractions. If pp, qq, rr, and ss are polynomials with q0q \neq 0, r0r \neq 0, and s0s \neq 0, then:

pq÷rs=pqsr\frac{p}{q} \div \frac{r}{s} = \frac{p}{q} \cdot \frac{s}{r}

The reciprocal of rs\frac{r}{s} is sr\frac{s}{r}, obtained by swapping the numerator and denominator of the second rational expression. Once the division has been rewritten as a multiplication, the standard procedure for multiplying rational expressions applies: factor all numerators and denominators completely, multiply, and then simplify by dividing out common factors.

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Updated 2026-05-01

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