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Why can't the denominators of rational expressions be zero How can we find the domain of a rational function?
Rational expressions are fractions and are therefore undefined if the denominator is zero; the domain of a rational function is all real numbers except those that make the denominator of the related rational expression equal to 0. If a denominator contains variables, set it equal to zero and solve.
Why do we set the denominator to zero to graph a rational function?
We set the denominator to zero to find the singularities: points where the graph is undefined.
What is a rational function?
In mathematics, a rational function is any function which can be written as the ratio of two polynomial functions. Neither the coefficients of the polynomials nor the values taken by the function are necessarily rational numbers.In the case of one variable, , a function is called a rational function if and only if it can be written in the formwhere and are polynomial functions in and is not the zero polynomial. The domain of is the set of all points for which the denominator is not zero, where one assumes that the fraction is written in its lower degree terms, that is, and have several factors of the positive degree.Every polynomial function is a rational function with . A function that cannot be written in this form (for example, ) is not a rational function (but the adjective "irrational" is not generally used for functions, but only for numbers).An expression of the form is called a rational expression. The need not be a variable. In abstract algebra the is called an indeterminate.A rational equation is an equation in which two rational expressions are set equal to each other. These expressions obey the same rules as fractions. The equations can be solved by cross-multiplying. Division by zero is undefined, so that a solution causing formal division by zero is rejected.
What is a ratio of two integers where the denominator is not zero?
It is a rational fraction.
What can the denominator of a rational expression never equal?
It cannot be zero.
