Asked by htht

Which solution to the equation StartFraction 3 Over a + 2 EndFraction + StartFraction 2 Over a EndFraction = StartFraction 4 a minus 4 Over a squared minus 4 EndFraction is extraneous?
a = –2
a = –2 and a = 4
neither a = –2 nor a = 4
a = 4

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
a = –2

When you clear denominators you get (a − 4)(a + 2) = 0, so a = 4 or a = −2. But a = −2 makes denominators (a+2) and (a^2−4) zero in the original equation, so it is extraneous. a = 4 is valid.