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The sum of the squares of two positive integers is 106 and the difference of the squares of the numbers is 56. Find the numbers.

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User SnakeEyes
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1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

To find the two positive integers, we can solve a system of equations using the given information. By assigning variables and manipulating the equations, we find that the numbers are 9 and 5.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve this problem, let's assign variables to the two positive integers. Let's call them x and y. According to the given information:

x^2 + y^2 = 106

x^2 - y^2 = 56

Now, we can solve these equations simultaneously. Let's subtract the second equation from the first to eliminate the y^2 term:
x^2 + y^2 - (x^2 - y^2) = 106 - 56

Simplifying the left side:
2y^2 = 50

Dividing both sides by 2:
y^2 = 25

Taking the square root of both sides:
y = 5 or -5 (but we are looking for positive integers)

Now, substitute the value of y into one of the original equations to solve for x:
x^2 + 25 = 106

Simplifying:
x^2 = 81

Taking the square root of both sides:
x = 9 or -9 (again, we are looking for positive integers)

Therefore, the two positive integers are 9 and 5.

User Roman Kuzmin
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