We are given the transfer function:
\[
\frac{(s + 1)(s + 3)}{(s + 5)(s + 7)(s + 9)}.
\]
To find the minimum number of state variables required in the state-space representation, we need to look at the number of poles in the transfer function.
Step 1: Identify the poles of the transfer function
The poles are the values of \( s \) that make the denominator of the transfer function equal to zero. From the denominator \( (s + 5)(s + 7)(s + 9) \), we can see that the poles are:
\[
s = -5, \, s = -7, \, s = -9.
\]
Step 2: Minimum number of state variables
In state-space representation, the minimum number of state variables required is equal to the number of poles in the system, as each pole corresponds to a state variable.
Since there are 3 poles (\( s = -5, -7, -9 \)), the minimum number of state variables required is \( 3 \).