Solutions
Solutions of Rational Equations
Solving Using Cross Products
A rational equation that contains two terms, a proportion, is easily solved by the method of cross products or cross multiplication. This turns a rational equation into a polynomial equation.
Example 1 Solve.
Step 1. Use cross-multiplication to turn the rational equation into a polynomial equation.
Step 2. Solve the equation.
Step 3. Check for extraneous solutions.
The original equation had no excluded values, so 
is not an extraneous solution.
*Remember: you can always check your answers by plugging the solutions into the original equation.