Example

Try It 7.51: Simplifying 1x+1y1x1y\frac{\frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{y}}{\frac{1}{x}-\frac{1}{y}} by Writing it as Division

To simplify the complex rational expression 1x+1y1x1y\frac{\frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{y}}{\frac{1}{x}-\frac{1}{y}} by writing it as division, perform the following steps:

Step 1. Simplify the numerator and denominator. The common denominator for the separate expressions in the numerator and denominator is xyxy. Numerator: Multiply 1x\frac{1}{x} by yy\frac{y}{y} and 1y\frac{1}{y} by xx\frac{x}{x} to add them: yxy+xxy=y+xxy\frac{y}{xy} + \frac{x}{xy} = \frac{y + x}{xy}. Denominator: Multiply 1x\frac{1}{x} by yy\frac{y}{y} and 1y\frac{1}{y} by xx\frac{x}{x} to subtract them: yxyxxy=yxxy\frac{y}{xy} - \frac{x}{xy} = \frac{y - x}{xy}. The complex fraction becomes y+xxyyxxy\frac{\frac{y + x}{xy}}{\frac{y - x}{xy}}.

Step 2. Rewrite as division. Translate the main fraction bar into division: y+xxy÷yxxy\frac{y + x}{xy} \div \frac{y - x}{xy}.

Step 3. Multiply by the reciprocal and simplify. Change the division operator to multiplication by using the reciprocal: y+xxyxyyx\frac{y + x}{xy} \cdot \frac{xy}{y - x}. Divide out the common polynomial factor of xyxy from the numerator and denominator. The final simplified expression is y+xyx\frac{y + x}{y - x}.

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Updated 2026-04-30

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Ch.7 Rational Expressions and Functions - Intermediate Algebra @ OpenStax

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