Mathematics

The key is to recognize that direct substitution can be messy with nested operations—instead, try factoring the denominator first to see if it shares a common factor with the numerator. Once you simplify the expression algebraically, plugging in $c = 2$ and $d = -4$ becomes straightforward arithmetic rather than a computational nightmare.

The key is to recognize that direct substitution can be messy with nested operations—instead, try factoring the denominator first to see if it shares a common factor with the numerator. Once you simplify the expression algebraically, plugging in $c = 2$ and $d = -4$ becomes straightforward arithmetic rather than a computational nightmare.