If \[ f(x) = \frac{1}{x^2 + 4x + 4} - \frac{4}{x^4 + 4x^3 + 4x^2} + \frac{4}{x^3 + 2x^2}, \] then the value of \[ f\left(\frac{1}{2}\right) \] is equal to:
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Directly substituting \( 1/2 \) into the original expression would lead to messy fractions. Algebraic simplification is almost always the intended first step in such function problems.