Need Some Basic Math Help

[The Lipo Fund]

I'm not a very mathematically oriented person and I get the methodology confused all the time and end up screwing things up. I'm trying to do some college algebra homework and I wanted to make sure I was doing things the right way, this should be a breeze for 98% of you. It's not even hard for me, I just don't know whether or not I'm doing it right...


1. Factor of 15x^3/2 + 51x^1/2 -36x^-1/2

I got 5x-3 and x+4 by pulling out 3x^-1/5 as a LCM then foiling from there. Is this right/wrong?

2. Factor of xy + 3y -x -3

I grouped xy and x together giving me x(y+1) and then 3y and -3 together giving me 3(y-1) but is there another way to group them that I am missing?

3. Factor of 27x^-2 - 12x^-3

I simplified it down to 3x^-3(9x-4), but can it be reduced any further? Or is (9x-4) my only factor there?

4. This one is giving me the most trouble:

(2x + 1)^8/3 + x(2x^3+1)^5/3 (3x^2)

I don't really know where to start there.

so basically, am I doing the first 3 right? and can someone get me started in the right direction on the last one?

[Shadowrun]

you know with a little bit of googling you can find a free online calculator that will do this for you and in steps as well.

Give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him forever (or something along those lines)

[shadowclown]

im pretty sure the first one is (3x^-.5)(5x^2 + 17x - 12) then it reduces to (3x^-.5)(5x - 3)(x + 4)

#2 is x(y-1) + 3(y-1) thus it becomes (x+3)(y-1)

#3 is right

#4 try it before i give you the answer

its late and im drunk so i could be totally wrong too.

[lippy]

Yeah, I'd love to help you but once I got my A in Calc I and decided on Political Science I made a conscious decision to forget all this [censored].