Q:

Is it possible for two numbers to have a difference of 8, and a sum of 1?

Accepted Solution

A:
Answer: yes , it is possibleStep-by-step explanation:Let the first number be x and the second number be y .Then , the sum of the two numbers will be x + y , and their difference will be x - y.Combining the two , we have :x + y = 1 ............................... equation 1x - y = 8 ................................. equation 2solving the system of linear equation by substitution method. From equation 1 , make x the subject of the formula ,x = 1 - y ...................... equation 3Substitute equation 3 into equation 2 ,1 - y - y = 81 - 2y = 8add 2y to both sides 1 = 8 + 2ysubtract 8 from both sides1 - 8 = 2y- 7 = 2ydivide through by 2y = [tex]\frac{-7}{2}[/tex]y = - 3.5substitute y = -3.5 into equation 3 to find the value of x , we have x = 1 - yx = 1 - ( - 3.5 )x = 1 + 3.5x = 4.5Let us check :x + y will be 4.5 + (-3.5) = 1Also ,x - y will be 4.5 - (-3.5)β‡’ 4.5 + 3.5 = 8