Which choice is equivalent to the fraction below when [tex]\( x \)[/tex] is an appropriate value?

Hint: Rationalize the denominator and simplify.

[tex]\[
\frac{7}{7+\sqrt{14x}}
\][/tex]

A. [tex]\(\frac{7-\sqrt{14x}}{49-2x}\)[/tex]

B. [tex]\(\frac{7-\sqrt{14x}}{7-2x}\)[/tex]

C. [tex]\(\frac{7-\sqrt{14x}}{7-14x}\)[/tex]

D. [tex]\(\frac{7-\sqrt{14x}}{49-14x}\)[/tex]



Answer :

To solve the problem of identifying which choice is equivalent to the given fraction [tex]\(\frac{7}{7+\sqrt{14x}}\)[/tex], we need to rationalize the denominator. Rationalizing the denominator means eliminating the square root from the denominator by multiplying it by a conjugate expression. The conjugate of [tex]\(7 + \sqrt{14x}\)[/tex] is [tex]\(7 - \sqrt{14x}\)[/tex].

Let's perform the following steps to rationalize the denominator and simplify the expression:

1. Identify the conjugate of the denominator:
The denominator is [tex]\(7 + \sqrt{14x}\)[/tex].
The conjugate of [tex]\(7 + \sqrt{14x}\)[/tex] is [tex]\(7 - \sqrt{14x}\)[/tex].

2. Multiply the numerator and denominator by the conjugate of the denominator:
[tex]\[ \frac{7}{7 + \sqrt{14x}} \times \frac{7 - \sqrt{14x}}{7 - \sqrt{14x}} \][/tex]

3. Perform the multiplication in the numerator:
[tex]\[ 7 \times (7 - \sqrt{14x}) = 7 \cdot 7 - 7 \cdot \sqrt{14x} = 49 - 7\sqrt{14x} \][/tex]

4. Perform the multiplication in the denominator:
[tex]\[ (7 + \sqrt{14x})(7 - \sqrt{14x}) = 7^2 - (\sqrt{14x})^2 = 49 - 14x \][/tex]

5. Combine the results:
[tex]\[ \frac{7(7 - \sqrt{14x})}{(7 + \sqrt{14x})(7 - \sqrt{14x})} = \frac{49 - 7\sqrt{14x}}{49 - 14x} \][/tex]

Thus, the fraction [tex]\(\frac{7}{7 + \sqrt{14x}}\)[/tex] simplifies to [tex]\(\frac{7 - \sqrt{14x}}{49 - 14x}\)[/tex].

Now, let's compare this result with the provided choices:
- A. [tex]\(\frac{7 - \sqrt{14x}}{49 - 2x}\)[/tex]
- B. [tex]\(\frac{7 - \sqrt{14x}}{7 - 2x}\)[/tex]
- C. [tex]\(\frac{7 - \sqrt{14x}}{7 - 14x}\)[/tex]
- D. [tex]\(\frac{7 - \sqrt{14x}}{49 - 14x}\)[/tex]

The expression [tex]\(\frac{7 - \sqrt{14x}}{49 - 14x}\)[/tex] matches option D.

So, the correct choice is:
D. [tex]\(\frac{7 - \sqrt{14x}}{49 - 14x}\)[/tex]

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