Thread: algebra equation

if a² - b² -17=0
what is a times b


can you explain how to do that?

Originally Posted by johnerdem

if a² - b² -17=0
what is a times b


can you explain how to do that?

Hint: 81 - 64 = 17.

So this question is a guess work but no formule or something?

Originally Posted by johnerdem

So this question is a guess work but no formule or something?

It's not hard to guess.

A general solution to a^2 - b^2 = 17, where a and b are integers, can be found without guesswork using the theory of solving diophantine equations: Diophantine equation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia