Final answer:
To find two numbers whose product is -12 and sum is 4, set up equations by assigning the numbers as 'x' and 'y'. Then, solve the equations to find the two possible pairs of numbers.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find two numbers whose product is -12 and sum is 4, let's assign the numbers as 'x' and 'y'. We can set up the following equations:
- x * y = -12
- x + y = 4
Next, solve the second equation for one variable in terms of the other. Let's choose to solve for 'x':
x = 4 - y
Substitute this value of 'x' into the first equation:
(4 - y) * y = -12
Expanding and rearranging the equation, we get:
y^2 - 4y - 12 = 0
Factoring the quadratic equation, we find two possible values for 'y'. Solve for 'y', and then substitute the values back into the equation 'x = 4 - y' to find the corresponding values of 'x'.