Simplifying Algebraic Expressions - GMAT Quantitative

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Question

Factor \frac{x^{2}+6x+5}{x^{2}+10x+25}.

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Answer

Let's first look at the numerator and denominator separately.

x^{2}+6x+5: We need two numbers that multiply to 5 and add to 6. The numbers 1 and 5 work. So, x^{2}+6x+5 = (x+5)(x+1)

x^{2}+10x + 25: We need two numbers that multiply to 25 and add to 10. The numbers 5 and 5 work. So, x^{2}+10x + 25 = (x+5)(x+5)

Putting this together, \frac{x^{2}+6x+5}{x^{2}+10x+25} = \frac{(x+5)(x+1)}{(x+5)(x+5)} = \frac{x+1}{x+5}

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