Thread: Two Positive Integers....

Hello.
I'm told to: List the steps you would go through to solve the problem below. You are not required to actually solve the problem.

Two Positive Integers (C and D) add to 14. If the product CD is to be as large as possible, what values will C and D have?
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What are the steps you would go through? I'm having short term memory loss, because i remember doing something like this.

Originally Posted by Sazza

Hello.
I'm told to: List the steps you would go through to solve the problem below. You are not required to actually solve the problem.

Two Positive Integers (C and D) add to 14. If the product CD is to be as large as possible, what values will C and D have?
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What are the steps you would go through? I'm having short term memory loss, because i remember doing something like this.

set up a system of equations. call their product P, then you would have:

C + D = 14 .............(1)
CD = P ...................(2)

was this how you saw it done? can you take it from here?

the answer will end up being that C = D = 7

Well, i remember they had a line, as it's normal, and they had the negatives, and positives and stuff. But is there a more simpler way of finding the steps?

Originally Posted by Sazza

Well, i remember they had a line, as it's normal, and they had the negatives, and positives and stuff. But is there a more simpler way of finding the steps?

i do not know what method you are refering to, neither can i think of an easier way to do this at the moment. maybe you should check your notes and tell me exactly what they did, then i can explain it to you. otherwise, you can wait for someone else to answer. using my method, we'd create a quadratic equation and have to find its vertex. if none of that sounds familiar, then it might not have been the way you did it

okay thanks

Since these have to be positive integers just check all the possible ways to add to 17 and check their products.

Originally Posted by ThePerfectHacker

Since these have to be positive integers just check all the possible ways to add to 17 and check their products.

yeah! that should work, silly me