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General Mathematics, SHS Grade 11

Rational Equation and Rational Inequalities

Lecturer:

Manila Science High School

October 14, 2021
This module is created as the output for one of the activities in General Mathematics Class.

Contents
Lesson 1. Rational Equations .............................................................................. 1
Preliminary Activity ................................................................................................................................ 1
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Check-Up Exercise 1 ......................................................................................................................... 3
Check-Up Exercise 2 ......................................................................................................................... 5
Evaluation ............................................................................................................................................. 5

Lesson 2. Rational Inequalities............................................................................ 6

Preliminary Activity ................................................................................................................................ 6
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 6
Check-Up Exercise ............................................................................................................................. 9
Evaluation ............................................................................................................................................. 9

***

Preliminary Activity
Before the main content of the lesson, I want to see if you know how to find the LCD of the following set of terms.
This is an important step once you reach the discussion on how to find solutions of rational equations. Do not
worry, for I believe that this is a very easy activity, and surely you will finish this in less than thirty seconds.

Directions. Find the Least Common Denominator (LCD) of the following set of rational expressions. Write
your answers on the boxes given after the expressions.

To find the least common denominator (LCD) of

1
two or more fractions means to find the least
common multiple of the denominators of the
2 given fractions. The most common way to find the
LCD is to multiply the denominator expressions
3 and divide the product to their greatest common
factor.

4 Example:
The LCD of and can be found by multiplying
5 and . Since the greatest common factor is ,
there is no need for division. Therefore, the LCD
is .

Answers to this activity and other

General Mathematics Rational Equations and Rational
assessments are foundInequalities
at the very
last page of this module. Please
check your answers honestly.
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Discussion
Rational Equations. Rational equations are mathematical equations that contain one or more rational
expressions. Rational expressions are basically the quotient of two polynomials. This is to avoid confusion, as
to people are still interchanging rational equations and rational expressions, but these two terms are different
and one is part of the other.

The equations shown above are some examples of rational equations. Rational expressions may contain a
variable in the denominator, while in other cases, a variable is located in both numerator and the denominator.
A constant or a variable alone can also be considered as a rational expression, adding the fact that their
denominator is equal to . Looking at the fifth example on the rightmost part, the equation is considered
a rational equation, since both and can be considered as rational expressions in the form of and
respectively.

But how do we solve for solution(s) of a given rational equation? There are five simple steps that you need to
follow in order to successfully achieve solving rational equations, along with some examples in order for you to
understand more about rational equations.

Goal: Find the solution(s) of the equation

Make sure each term is simplified in order

to determine the LCD of the given set of
Step 1. rational expressions. The leftmost term can be simplified into .
Though nothing wrong happens if any of the terms
are not simplified, it is still recommended to
simplify them for convenience.

Determine the LCD of all denominators in

Step 2.
the equation.
The LCD is .
Multiply both sides of the equation by the
LCD. Apply the distributive property and
simplify.
Step 3. The goal for this step is to reduce the denominators
to . Usually, rational equations are rewritten in
standard form to set the right side of the equation to
, but it still depends on one’s preference for his or
her convenience.

Step 4. Solve for all values of the given unknown.

General Mathematics Rational Equations and Rational Inequalities

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Let
Check each solution by plugging-in the
solved values to the original equation.
Step 5. The goal is for both sides of the equation to be
equal in order for a particular solution to satisfy the
equation.

Goal: Find the solution(s) of the equation

Make sure each term is simplified in order to

Step 1. determine the LCD of the given set of rational
expressions. Both terms on both sides of the equation are already
simplified.

Determine the LCD of all denominators in the

Step 2.
equation.
The LCD is .

Multiply both sides of the equation by the LCD.

Step 3.
Apply the distributive property and simplify.
The equation doesn’t need to be rewritten in the standard
form because it can be solved using the square root
property.

Step 4. Solve for all values of the given unknown.

Let

Check each solution by plugging-in the solved

Step 5.
values to the original equation.
Let

Check-Up Exercise 1 Find all solutions of the following rational equations. Showing your solution and boxing
your final answer is recommended.

General Mathematics Rational Equations and Rational Inequalities

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Extraneous Solutions. Probably you might be wondering, why is there a need to check each solution we found?
Well, the reason is that it is a good practice in order to make sure that you have found the right solution to every
equation with unknowns. But more than that, there are solutions which when plugged in to the original equation
will produce an error. The source of error is not the human or computational error; It is naturally derived. A
solution of a transformed equation that is NOT the actual solution for the original equation is called an
extraneous solution. To understand more about extraneous solutions, let’s proceed to the example equation.

Goal: Find the solution(s) of the equation

Make sure each term is simplified in

Step 1. order to determine the LCD of the given
set of rational expressions. Both terms on both sides of the equation are already simplified.

Determine the LCD of all denominators

Step 2.
in the equation. The LCD is Though it can also be , factored
forms are recommended for convenience in simplification and
cancellation.

can be factored as .

Multiply both sides of the equation by

Step 3. the LCD. Apply the distributive property
and simplify.

Solve for all values of the given

Step 4.
unknown.

Let

Check each solution by plugging-in the

Step 5.
solved values to the original equation. The highlighted term cannot be simplified further, for it will produce
an undefined value. This will affect other terms and the equation in
general. We cannot confirm that is the solution to the equation.
Therefore, there are no solutions.

General Mathematics Rational Equations and Rational Inequalities

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Extraneous roots are not only found in rational equations, but also in simple
and compound radical equations. For rational equations, extraneous
Restriction values: solutions are also restricted values for any of the terms. These restricted
values are values that when plugged-in to the equation will produce a on
If :
the denominator of any terms. And as always for sake of the rule, any number
divided by is undefined.

This is why other people say that you have to check for the restricted values
of the rational equations, because if the solutions we find are part of those
values, then. Other people would convince you to not mind the restricted
values and just work on verifying each possible solution to see if which
Restriction values: values are part of the solutions and which values are restricted, hence the
need to check each value by plugging it in to the original equation.
If :

If any of the values you find are extraneous solutions, reject them and have
the other working values to be part of the solution set. If all values are found
to be extraneous solutions, just like the one from the example, then no
solution exists to that equation.

Check-Up Exercise 2 Find all solutions of the following rational equations. Showing your solution and boxing
your final answer is recommended.

Evaluation
Write the letter of the correct answer. You may write the letter on the blank space given before the number, or
you can use a sheet of paper to write your answers along with your solutions.
___ 1. Which of the following is a rational equation?
A. B. C. D.
___ 2. Which of the following steps should be done in order for the denominators of the equation
to be reduced to ?
A. Multiply both sides of the equation by , apply the distributive property and simplify
B. Divide both sides of the equation by and simplify each term
C. Subtract both sides of the equation by in order for the right side of the equation to be reduced
to
D. Multiply both sides of the equation by , simplify each term and rearrange the equation to
general form
___ 3. What is the solution set of the equation ?

General Mathematics Rational Equations and Rational Inequalities

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A. C.
B. D. No solution exists
___ 4. Is the equation considered to be a rational equation?
A. Yes, each term in the equation can be expressed as a fraction whose denominator is set to .
B. Yes, the numbers and are considered rational but not the variable .
C. No, linear equations cannot be considered as rational equations.
D. No, this is a rational expression and not an equation.
___ 5. A student from 11 - Boyle showed his work on how he got as the solution to the equation
.
Line 1

Line 2

Line 3
Line 4
Line 5

Mr. Cueto marked his answer wrong. Where must be the source of error in the student’s work?
A. Line 3 C. Line 5
B. Line 4 D. The student’s work is correct
___ 6. What are the restricted values of the equation ?
A. C.
B. D.
___ 7. What is the solution to the equation ?
A. C.
B. D. No solution exists
___ 8. At , the car that was resting starts to move at a constant speed ( ) of . What will be the
time ( ) at when the car covers a distance ( of ? (Use the formula for speed .)
A. B. C. D.

***

Preliminary Activity
Spoiler alert, the steps in solving rational inequalities are almost as same as the steps in solving quadratic and
polynomial inequalities. For that, let us have a throwback and question yourselves if you have remembered
anything in solving such inequalities. As you finish this, you are expected to recall and refamiliarize the steps in
solving and graphing polynomial inequalities, for it will greatly help you in mastering the main topic.

Directions. Find the solutions of the following inequalities. For now, solutions to inequalities must be written
in interval notation.
1.
2.
3.

Discussion
After evaluating rational expressions and finding solutions of rational equations, we must proceed to finding
rational inequalities. We don't always encounter equalities in real life, we also encounter inequalities. There are

General Mathematics Rational Equations and Rational Inequalities

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events that may need prediction through the use of limits and boundaries. We do, and if not, we will encounter
speed limits when we drive, item limits when we shop, minimum cash when we withdraw, or maximum number
of text messages that can be sent from a cellphone. These are the real-life applications of inequalities.

Business mathematics and economics highly require the use of rational inequalities on planning production
lines, pricing models, and cost of goods per ship. If you know what makes an equation a rational equation, then
surely you know what makes a certain inequality a rational inequality. If a rational equation is an equation that
contains rational expressions, then a rational inequality is an inequality that contains a rational expression.

All four inequalities shown above are considered as rational inequalities. Again, the fifth example is considered
a rational expression, considering that the value of the denominators of all terms is , and any number divided
by is equal to itself, hence the unnecessity of writing the denominator.

Steps in Finding Solutions of Rational Inequalities. Solving rational inequalities is not as easy as solving
rational equations, for the steps in solving rational equations are not as same as in rational inequalities. Some
of the approaches we used to solve linear inequalities will be used to solve rational inequalities. When
multiplying or dividing by a negative number, we must remember to reverse the inequality sign. But unlike solving
rational equations, multiplying both sides of the equation by the LCD, unlike rational equations, does not always
work, especially if one side of the equation is equal to .

Also, we need to know the restriction values that will make any rational expression undefined and produce an
error in the equality. This is not emphasized much on rational equations, but here it is highly important in order
not to include wrong solutions.

To specify, here are the steps in solving rational inequalities along with an example.

Goal: Find the solution(s) of the inequality

Determine the restricted values of

the inequality.
Restricted values are values in which when
The term has restrictions on . The only value that will
plugged in to the expression, equation, or
Step 1. satisfy the equation is , so is restricted and is not part of the
inequality will result in an undefined value. In
solution.
simple terms, one of the rational expressions
will have the denominator equal to . Again, any
number divided by is undefined and it will
affect the entire equation or inequality.

Set the right side of the equation

To remove the on the right side, simply add both sides of the
equal to zero. equation by its additive inverse, which is .
Step 2. To accomplish this step, all the terms must be
placed on the left side of the equation to leave
the right side with nothing but .

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Write the expression on the right

side of the equation as one singular
rational expression. The least common denominator of the expression is .
The inequality must be in the form of: can be expressed as . This will put the new equation to:
Step 3.
Where is the numerator, is the
denominator, and can be replaced with , ,
or . You wouldn’t find this step difficult if you
have mastered operations involving dissimilar
and mixed fractions.

Determine the critical values.

Critical values are values that when inputted to Set to find critical value(s):
the rational expression on the left will evaluate
to .
▪ Values that will set the numerator to will
cause the entire fraction to be evaluated to
, so these values are considered as critical
Step 4.
values.
▪ Values that will set the denominator to will
result for the entire fraction to have an
Set to find critical value(s):
undefined value. When the fraction is
graphed, an asymptote is produced at
equal to the critical value. So, these values
are also considered as critical values.
Critical Values:
The inequality sign used is , thus all intervals between and beyond
and . We will use the brackets instead of parentheses
for the notation.
Divide the number line into intervals
between and beyond the critical Since there are two critical values, there are three intervals:
values. ▪
All intervals are closed intervals if the inequality ▪
Step 5. sign is or . Otherwise, the intervals are open ▪
intervals.
When graphed, it can be visually observed that We can visualize the intervals by drawing them in the number line.
all values within each interval are either above
or below the horizontal axis.

Any value will do, as long as it is within the assigned interval. It is

recommended to be a whole number for convenience in arithmetic.
Interval Test Value Evaluation

Test a value in each interval by

Step 6. plugging it to the original inequality.
The value will be the basis if the interval it is included
belongs is part of a solution.

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is included

Select the intervals included in the Use the union symbol ( ) to combine two intervals.
Step 7. solution and write the final answer in
interval notation.

Graphing. When is graphed, the graph will cross the horizontal axis ( ) at
, which is one of the critical values. The other critical value can be seen as
part of the vertical asymptote. The purpose of showing you the graph is for you to
visualize which values are part of the inequality, meaning which values are above
the horizontal axis. The critical values shown as zeroes and asymptotes divides the
graph into three intervals. Incidentally, the values that you may observe that are
above or at the horizontal axis are also the values included in the intervals.

Check-Up Exercise Find all solutions of the following rational equations. Showing your solution and
boxing your final answer is recommended.

1.
2.
3.

Evaluation
Write the letter of the correct answer. You may write the letter on the blank space given before the number, or
you can use a sheet of paper to write your answers along with your solutions.
___ 1. Which of the following is a rational inequality?
A.
B.
C.
D. All of the above
___ 2. Which of the following is considered the most to be a rational inequality?
A.
B.
C.
D.
___ 3. Among the four steps, which one to be used to solved is the most appropriate given the inequality
?
A. Determine the intervals based on the critical values from the inequality
B. Write the solutions in interval notation
C. Determine the critical values of the inequality in order to determine the intervals
D. Move the expression from the right side to the left side to set the right side equal to
___ 4. What are the solutions of the inequality ?
A.
B.
C.
D.

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___ 5. When testing each interval, which is NOT included in the accepted intervals for the inequality ?
A.
B.
C.
D. None; the solutions are all real numbers

General Mathematics Rational Equations and Rational Inequalities