Undefined
Fractions can be undefined. An undefined fraction is a fraction that doesn't make sense. Simply: an undefined fraction is a fraction with a zero denominator.
Let's think about it:
If a have a pizza and cut it into 6 pieces, I can give you 1 piece ($\dfrac{1}{6}$) or 4 pieces ($\dfrac{4}{6}$).
I could also give you no pizza. We would write that fraction as $\dfrac{0}{6}$, or zero sixths. There are six pieces, I gave you 0. A fraction with a zero in the numerator is equal to zero. It is a real number.
While $\dfrac{0}{6}$ equals zero, what does $\dfrac{6}{0}$ equal?
It's undefined. Why?
How can you cut a pizza into "zeroth" pieces? How can you give someone 6 "zeroths" of a pizza? You can't. A fraction with a zero in the denominator is not a real number: it's undefined.
So, an undefined fraction is just a fraction with a zero in the denominator. Any time you are asked what value makes a fraction undefined, it's the value that makes the denominator zero.
Example:
What value of $x$ makes $\dfrac{3x-1}{3x+4}$ undefined?
In this case, you just want to find what makes the denominator ${3x+4}$ equal to zero. You can ignore the numerator entirely, because all you need to make a fraction undefined is a denominator that is equal to zero.
$\eqalign{3x+4&=0\\-4 &\quad-4\\3x&=-4\\x&=\dfrac{-4}{3}}$
Let's plug that value of $x$ into the fraction and see if it works:
$\eqalign{\dfrac{3x-1}{3x+4}=\dfrac{3(\dfrac{-4}{3})-1}{3(\dfrac{-4}{3})+4}=\dfrac{\dfrac{-12}{3}-1}{\dfrac{-12}{3}+4}=\dfrac{-4-1}{-4+4}=\dfrac{-5}{0}}$
The denominator is zero. The fraction is undefined. The value of $x$ that make the fraction undefined is $\dfrac{-4}{3}$.
Practice Problems:
Test Prep Practice
Find Undefined
1. For which of the following values of x is $\dfrac{3+x}{x-3}$ undefined?
- -3
- 0
- 3
- There is no such value.
2. For which of the following values of a is $\dfrac{a-2}{-a+2}$ undefined?
- -2
- 0
- 2
- There is no such value.
3. For which of the following values of x is $\dfrac{2(y+2)}{-3(y-2)}$ undefined?
- 2
- 3
- 4
- There is no such value.
$g(x)=\dfrac{1}{(x-4)^2+5(x-4)+6}$
4. What is a value of x that will make the function $g$ above undefined?
Answer Key: