Question
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Graph all asymptotes of the rational function.

Ask by George Fernandez. in the United States
Mar 29,2025

Upstudy AI Solution

Tutor-Verified Answer

Answer

The function has a vertical asymptote at and an oblique asymptote at .

Solution

Step 1. Find the Vertical Asymptote
The function is
Set the denominator equal to zero:
Since the numerator is not zero at (check: ), there is a vertical asymptote at
Step 2. Find the Oblique Asymptote
Since the degree of the numerator ( ) is one more than the degree of the denominator ( ), the function has an oblique (or slant) asymptote. We perform polynomial division of by .
  1. Divide by :
    Multiply the divisor by :
    Subtract from the original numerator:
  2. Divide by :
    Multiply the divisor by :
    Subtract:
Thus, the result of the division is:
As approaches infinity (or negative infinity), the term approaches . Therefore, the oblique asymptote is
Answer
The rational function has the following asymptotes:
  • A vertical asymptote at .
  • An oblique asymptote at .

Answered by UpStudy AI and reviewed by a Professional Tutor

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Simplify this solution

Mind Expander

To find the asymptotes of the rational function , we first identify the vertical and horizontal asymptotes.
  1. Vertical Asymptote: This occurs where the denominator is zero (as long as the numerator does not also equal zero at that point). Setting the denominator gives us:
    So, there is a vertical asymptote at .
  2. Horizontal Asymptote: To find the horizontal asymptote, we examine the degrees of the numerator and denominator. Here, the degree of the numerator is 2 (since is the highest power) and the degree of the denominator is 1 (from ).
    Because the degree of the numerator is greater than the degree of the denominator, there is no horizontal asymptote. Instead, we can conclude that as or , will approach infinity.
In summary, the rational function has a vertical asymptote at and does not have a horizontal asymptote.

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