16Hit1600
Advanced MathVery hardSimplifying a cubic over a quadratic

Advanced Math practice question

For x > 1, the expression (x³ − x)/(x² − 1) is equivalent to xⁿ, where n is a constant. What is the value of n?

Answer: 1

x³ − x = x(x² − 1), so dividing by x² − 1 leaves x.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 0
0 treats the quotient as a constant.
If you answered 2
2 subtracts the exponents of the leading terms only and then errs; the cancellation leaves x¹.
If you answered 3
3 copies the numerator's exponent.

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