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# Subtracting functions

CCSS Math: HSF.BF.A.1b

## Video transcript

- [Instructor] We're told that f of x is equal to two x times the square root of five minus four. And we're also told that g of x is equal to x squared plus two x times the square root of five minus one. And they want us to find g minus f of x. So pause this video, and see if you can work through that on your own. So the key here is to just realize what this notation means. G minus f of x is the same thing as g of x minus f of x. And so, again, if this was helpful to you, once again I encourage you to pause the video. All right, now let's work through this again. So this is going, or, I guess the first time, but now that we know that this is equal to g of x minus f of x. So what is g of x? Well, that's the same thing as x squared plus two x times the square root of five minus one. And what is f of x? Well, it's going to be two x times the square root of five minus four. And we are subtracting f of x from g of x. So let's subtract, this is f of x, from g of x. And so now it's just going to be a little bit of algebraic simplification. So this is going to be equal to, this is equal to x squared plus two x times the square root of five minus one. And now we just have to distribute this negative sign. So negative one times two x times the square root of five is, we're gonna have minus two x times the square root of five. And then the negative of negative four is positive four. Now let's see if we can simplify this some. So this is going to be equal to, we only have one x squared term, so that's that one there. So we have x squared. Now let's see, we have two x times the square root of five. And then we have another, oh, and then we subtract two x times the square root of five. So these two cancel out with each other. So those cancel out. And then we have minus one plus four. So if we have negative one and then we add four to it, we're going to have positive three. So if we just fact, if we take this and this into consideration, four minus one is going to be equal to three, and we're done. That's what g minus f of x is equal to, x squared plus three.