Finding the X Intercepts

9. To find the x intercepts of a rational function, plug in zero for y. This has to be done in the factored equation. Their is a long way and a short way to find the x intercepts. The long method includes multiplying the rational function by the denominator to cancel it. After canceling the denominator you then set the remainig equation equal to 0. The short method includes skipping canceling the denominator and just setting the top equation to 0. This makes mathematical sense because we were going to cancel the denominator anyways, so ignoring this extra step and just setting the top equation to 0 is the same thing.