ab-2cd/-3ab-6cd
simplify?
Is the denominator (-3ab - 6cd) or -(3ab -6cd)?
It will simplify more if it is the latter.
In either case, factor out the 3.
ab-2cd
_______
3(ab-2cd)
cross out ab and cd, gives you 3 as the answer
To simplify the expression ab - 2cd / -3ab - 6cd, we can follow the order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS), which stands for Parentheses/Brackets, Exponents/Orders, Multiplication/Division, and Addition/Subtraction.
First, let's work on the division part of the expression: 2cd / -3ab.
To divide two terms, we need to divide their coefficients and divide their variables separately. In this case, the coefficient of 2cd is 2, and the coefficient of -3ab is -3. Dividing 2 by -3 gives us -2/3.
Next, let's simplify the variables. The variable in both terms is cd, which means we don't need to change them.
So, 2cd / -3ab can be simplified to (-2/3)cd / ab.
Now, let's substitute this simplified expression back into the original expression:
ab - (-2/3)cd / ab - 6cd
To simplify further, we'll find a common denominator for the fractions in the expression. The common denominator for ab and 1 is ab:
(ab) - (-2/3)cd / ab - (6cd * ab / ab)
Now, let's simplify the fractions by multiplying the numerators and denominators:
(ab) + (2/3)cd / ab - (6acbd / ab)
Since the fractions have common denominators, we can combine them:
(ab + 2cd) / ab - (6acbd / ab)
This is the simplified form of the expression ab - 2cd / -3ab - 6cd.