Question

Thirty-five less than the square of a number is the same as 2 times the number. Find the number

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

-5 or 7

Explanation:

Let x represent the number. The problem statement tells us ...

x^2 -35 = 2x

x^2 -2x -35 = 0 . . . . subtract 2x to put in standard form

(x -7)(x +5) = 0 . . . . . factor

x = 7 or x = -5 . . . . solutions are values of x that make the factors zero

The number could be either -5 or +7.