Hi, could you please provide a step by step solution explaining how to do this:

[(a^2 - b^2 + a + b)/(a - a^3)] x [(1-a^2)/(a - b + 1)]

The answer should be (a + b)/ a

Thanks

do some factoring

[(a^2 - b^2 + a + b)/(a - a^3)] x [(1-a^2)/(a - b + 1)]=

[(a+b)(a-b) + (a + b))/a(1 - a^2))] x [(1-a^2)/(a - b + 1)]

(a+b)[(a-b) +1 )/a(1 - a^2))] x [(1-a^2)/(a - b + 1)]

(a+b)/a

check all that.