216k views
9 votes
What equals 5 in multiplication and -4 in addition

User LightStruk
by
5.9k points

1 Answer

0 votes

Answer:

  • -2 +i
  • -2 -i

Explanation:

There is no pair of real numbers that have a total of -4 and a product of 5. The complex numbers (-2+i) and (-2-i) will meet your requirements.

__

If the numbers of interest are 'a' and 'b', they will be zeros of the quadratic whose factored form is ...

(x -a)(x -b) = 0

Expanding that, we find an opportunity to use the given sum and product numbers:

x² -(a+b)x +ab = 0

x² -(-4)x +5 = 0

Rewriting this in vertex form gives ...

(x² +4x +4) +1 = 0

(x +2)² +1 = 0

We can find the values of x by subtracting 1 and taking the square root.

(x +2)² = -1

x +2 = ±√(-1) = ±i

x = -2±i

The two numbers of interest are -2+i and -2-i.

User Sarvesh Bhatnagar
by
5.7k points