If
, what does
equal?
Two positive numbers are such that their difference, their sum, and their product are in the ratio
. What is the smaller of the two numbers?
Let and
be the two numbers. Then
(1)
(2)
(3)
Add equation and
together to eliminate the
(4)
From
, substitute for
into equation
.
(5)
Substitute into equation
.
Hence, or
.
When ,
and
Therefore the smaller number is .