Answer:
a) a is positive and b is negative
b) a = 3, b = -15.
Explanation:
Inequalities and Equations:
We are given:
ab = -45
a > b
a) We don't know the values of a and b, but since their product is negative, there can be only two situations:
a is negative and b is positive
a is positive and b is negative
The condition a > b rules out the first situation, thus we are sure
a is positive and b is negative
b) Since a + b = -12 we can find the values of a and b. It can be done by solving a quadratic equation but we'll do it mentally.
We have to find two numbers whose sum is -12 and product is -45. It's not so hard to find the numbers are -15 and 3. Since a is positive and b is negative, the solution is
a = 3
b = -15