Tutorial 6

Express the following in terms of partial fractions.

Case 1: Linear

x6 x  12 2x  1 x
(a) (b) (c) (d)
x( x  3) x 2  4x x  x2
2
8 x  10 x  3
2

 3x 2  3x  27
(e)
( x  2)(2 x 2  3x  9)

Case 2: Quadratic

3  2x x2  x  1 3x 2  4 x  1
(f) (g) (o)
(1  x)(4  x 2 ) 2 x 4  3x 2  1 x3  1

Case 3: Repeated (Linear/Quadratic)

x3  2x 2  4x  3 x2 1 11  7 x
(h) (i) 3 (j)
x4 x  x2 (1  x)(2  x) 2

2x 2  x  8 x4  x3  x2  x 1
(k) (l)
( x 2  4) 2 x( x 2  1) 2

Case 4: Improper

x2 3x3  5 x 2  5 x  11
(m) n)
x 2  3x  2 ( x 2  1)( x  3)

1
Answers:

Case 1: Linear

2 1 3 2 1 1 3 1
(a)  (b)  (c)  (d) 
x x3 x x4 x 1 x  2 2(4 x  3) 2(2 x  1)

3 1 1
(e)  
x  2 2x  3 x  3

Case 2: Quadratic

1  x 1 2x 1 x x3 2
(f)  (g)  2 (o) 
1  x 4  x2 2x 1 x 1
2
x  x  1 x 1
2

Case 3: Repeated (Linear/Quadratic)

1 2 4 3 1 1 2 2 2 1
(h)    (i)  2 (j)  
x x 2 x3 x 4 x x x 1 1  x 2  x (2  x) 2

2 x 1 1 x  2
(k)  2 (l)  2  2
x  4 ( x  4) 2
2
x x  1 ( x  1) 2

Case 4: Improper

4 1
1  2 4
(m) x  2 x 1 (n) 3  
x 1 x  3
2