Question

The following rational equation has denominators that contain variables. For this​ equation, a. Write the value or values of the variable that make a denominator zero. These are the restrictions on the variable. b. Keeping the restrictions in​ mind, solve the equation.
StartFraction 1 Over x plus 1 EndFraction plus 2 equals StartFraction 5 Over x plus 1 EndFraction
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Part 1
a. What​ is/are the value or values of the variable that​ make(s) the denominators​ zero?
xequals
  
enter your response here
​(Simplify your answer. Use a comma to separate answers as​ needed.)
Part 2
b. Solve the equation. Select the correct choice below​ and, if​ necessary, fill in the answer box to complete your choice.
A.
The solution set is StartSet nothing EndSet .
  
​(Type an integer or a simplified fraction. Use a comma to separate answers as​ needed.)
B.
The solution set is StartSet x|x is a real number EndSet.
C.
The solution set is empty set.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To solve the given rational equation and determine the restrictions on the variable, we can follow these steps:

### Part 1: Restrictions
The equation is given as:

\[
\frac{1}{x + 1} + 2 = \frac{5}{x + 1}
\]

The denominators in this equation are \(x + 1\). To find the values of \(x\) that make the denominator zero, we set the denominator equal to zero:

\[
x + 1 = 0 \implies x = -1
\]

Thus, the restriction on the variable is:

\[
\text{The value of } x \text{ that makes the denominator zero is } x = -1.
\]

### Part 2: Solving the Equation
We can solve the equation while keeping the restriction in mind. The equation simplifies as follows:

Starting with:

\[
\frac{1}{x + 1} + 2 = \frac{5}{x + 1}
\]

We can eliminate the fractions by multiplying through by the common denominator, \(x + 1\) (noting that \(x + 1 \neq 0\) since \(x \neq -1\)):

\[
1 + 2(x + 1) = 5
\]

Expanding the left side gives:

\[
1 + 2x + 2 = 5 \implies 2x + 3 = 5
\]

Now, we isolate \(x\):

\[
2x = 5 - 3 \implies 2x = 2 \implies x = 1
\]

### Final Step: Analyzing the Solution
Since \(x = 1\) does not violate our restriction (as \(x = -1\) was the only restriction), we can conclude that it is a valid solution.

So, the solution set is:

**Answer for Part 2:**

A. The solution set is \(\{1\}\).

Thus, we can summarize:
- **Part 1**: The value that makes the denominator zero is \(x = -1\).
- **Part 2**: The solution set is \(\{1\}\).