Problema Solution

What are the 2 numbers whose product is 48 and, when the higher number is divided for the lower, the result is 3?

Answer provided by our tutors

Let 'x' and 'y' represent the numbers and let y>x.

y : x = 3

y = 3x

The product of the two numbers is 48:

x*y = 48

plug y = 3x into the last equation:

x*3x = 48

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click here to see the equation solved for x

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x1 = 4

x2 = -4

For x = 4 we have y =3*4 = 12, and 12 > 4 follows one solution is: the numbers are 4 and 12.

For x = -4 we have y =3*(-4) = -12, but on the other hand -12 is not bigger than -4 follows this is not a solution since it doesn't satisfy the condition y > x.