Calculus
Lesson
44
Partial
Fractions
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Back to Dr. Nandor's Calculus Page
In algebra, we learned how to combine fractions:
Now we are going to learn to go backward so that when we have something like:
, we can turn it into
Step 1) Divide first if improper:
Step 2) Factor denominator COMPLETELY!
Worst case scenario: 
All factors must be either linear or quadratic, and it must be fully factored!
Step 3) Create term for each factor, and multiple terms if the factor occurs multiple times
Any quadratic in x must have both a linear term and a constant term. Any linear
in x must have only a constant term.
Step 4) Get everything over a common denominator and set up equations. Solve.
Examples: 
