202k views
1 vote
One number is less than a second number. Five times the first is 1 more than 3 times the second. find the numbers

User Guleria
by
6.5k points

1 Answer

3 votes
Let the numbers be represented by "a" and "b".
a < b
5a = 1 +3b
Then
a = (1 +3b)/5
So we can substitute for "a" to gete
(1 +3b)/5 < b
1 +3b < 5b
1 < 2b
1/2 < b

The conditions will be met for any numbers "a" and "b" such that
b > 1/2
a = (1 +3b)/5

Integer solutions will be solutions to the Diophantine equation
5a -3b = 1
which has solutions (for n ≥ 1)
a = 3n -1
b = 5n -2
The smallest pair of integers meeting the requirement is 2 and 3.
User Hady
by
6.4k points