Problem

Simplify the given rational expression:
$\frac{4}{-3-\sqrt{5}}$

Answer

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Answer

The simplified form of the given rational expression is \(\boxed{-3 + \sqrt{5}}\)

Steps

Step 1 :Given the rational expression \(\frac{4}{-3-\sqrt{5}}\)

Step 2 :First, we multiply the numerator and the denominator by the conjugate of the denominator, which is \(-3 + \sqrt{5}\)

Step 3 :The new numerator becomes \(4 \times (-3 + \sqrt{5}) = -12 + 4\sqrt{5}\)

Step 4 :The new denominator becomes \((-3 - \sqrt{5}) \times (-3 + \sqrt{5})\), which simplifies to a perfect square

Step 5 :Finally, we simplify the expression to get the final answer

Step 6 :The simplified form of the given rational expression is \(\boxed{-3 + \sqrt{5}}\)

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