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2.25 Partial Fractions 3: C Pearson Education LTD 2000

This document describes how to express an improper fraction as a sum of partial fractions. An improper fraction has a numerator with a higher degree than the denominator. To express it as partial fractions, additional terms in the form of polynomials up to the degree difference must be included. Examples are worked through, such as expressing 3x^2 + 2x / (x+1) as 3x - 1 + 1/(x+1). The process of equating coefficients is used to solve for the constants in the partial fraction expressions. Exercises are provided to have the reader practice decomposing more improper fractions into partial fractions.

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Marcinek30
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22 views

2.25 Partial Fractions 3: C Pearson Education LTD 2000

This document describes how to express an improper fraction as a sum of partial fractions. An improper fraction has a numerator with a higher degree than the denominator. To express it as partial fractions, additional terms in the form of polynomials up to the degree difference must be included. Examples are worked through, such as expressing 3x^2 + 2x / (x+1) as 3x - 1 + 1/(x+1). The process of equating coefficients is used to solve for the constants in the partial fraction expressions. Exercises are provided to have the reader practice decomposing more improper fractions into partial fractions.

Uploaded by

Marcinek30
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2.25

Partial Fractions 3
Introduction
This leaflet describes how the partial fractions of an improper fraction can be found.

1. Partial fractions of improper fractions


An algebraic fraction is improper if the degree (highest power) of the numerator is greater than
or equal to that of the denominator. Suppose we let d equal the degree of the denominator, and
n the degree of the numerator. Then, in addition to the partial fractions arising from factors in
the denominator we must include an additional term: this additional term is a polynomial of
degree n − d.
Note that:
a polynomial of degree 0 is: A, a constant
a polynomial of degree 1 is: Ax + B
a polynomial of degree 2 is: Ax2 + Bx + C,
and so on.

Example
3x2 + 2x
Express as partial fractions.
x+1

Solution
This fraction is improper because n = 2 and d = 1 and so n ≥ d. We must include a polynomial
of degree n − d = 1 as well as the normal partial fractions arising from the factors of the
denominator. Thus

3x2 + 2x C
= Ax + B +
x+1 x+1

Writing the right-hand side over a common denominator gives

3x2 + 2x (Ax + B)(x + 1) + C


=
x+1 x+1

and so

3x2 + 2x = (Ax + B)(x + 1) + C

www.mathcentre.ac.uk 2.25.1
c Pearson Education Ltd 2000
As before we can equate coefficients or substitute values for x to find

C = 1, A = 3, and B = −1

Finally

3x2 + 2x 1
= 3x − 1 +
x+1 x+1

Example
s2 + 2s + 1
Express 2 in partial fractions.
s +s+1

Solution
Here n = 2, and d = 2. The fraction is therefore improper, with n − d = 0. We must include a
polynomial of degree 0, that is a constant, in addition to the usual partial fractions arising from
the factors of the denominator. In this example the denominator will not factorise and so this
remains a quadratic factor. So,

s2 + 2s + 1 Bs + C
=A+ 2
s +s+1
2 s +s+1
Writing the right-hand side over a common denominator gives

s2 + 2s + 1 A(s2 + s + 1) + (Bs + C)
=
s2 + s + 1 s2 + s + 1
and so
s2 + 2s + 1 = A(s2 + s + 1) + (Bs + C)
Equating coefficients of s2 shows that A = 1. Equating coefficients of s shows that B = 1, and
you should check that C = 0. Hence

s2 + 2s + 1 s
= 1+ 2
s +s+1
2 s +s+1
Exercises

1. Show that
x4 + 2x3 − 2x2 + 4x − 1 1 1
= x2 + 1 + +
x + 2x − 3
2 x+3 x−1
2. Show that
4x3 + 12x2 + 13x + 7 2 3
= x + 2 + +
4x2 + 4x + 1 2x + 1 (2x + 1)2

3. Show that
6x3 + x2 + 5x − 1 1 2x − 1
=6− + 2
x +x
3 x x +1

www.mathcentre.ac.uk 2.25.2
c Pearson Education Ltd 2000

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