# How I can solve that question?

• Aug 9th 2008, 03:13 PM
OPETH
How I can solve that question?
$a.b+a+b=34$

$a+b=?$
• Aug 9th 2008, 03:16 PM
Dubulus
do a and b have to be integers?
• Aug 9th 2008, 03:23 PM
OPETH
Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubulus
do a and b have to be integers?

yeah!
• Aug 9th 2008, 03:54 PM
Plato
$a + b = 10$????????
• Aug 9th 2008, 04:10 PM
Dubulus
a = 17
b = 0

17.0 + 17 + 0 = 34

why is that the only answer?
b needs to be 0 because otherwise the sum would have a decimal in it. since 34 is an integer, we cannot have that.
• Aug 9th 2008, 04:38 PM
Plato
Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubulus
a = 17 & b = 0
17.0 + 17 + 0 = 34
b needs to be 0 because otherwise the sum would have a decimal in it. since 34 is an integer, we cannot have that.

That is nonsense!
$a = 4\,\& \,b = 6$
$(4)(6)+(4)+(6)=34$
• Aug 9th 2008, 04:46 PM
OPETH
Quote:

Originally Posted by Plato
$a + b = 10$????????

Yes, correct. Can you explain the solve?
• Aug 9th 2008, 05:05 PM
Plato
Quote:

Originally Posted by OPETH
Yes, correct. Can you explain the solve?

No, I cannot explain how I solved the problem!
First assume that we are dealing with natural numbers (positive).
I just know a great deal about how numbers work.
It does not take much to see that the integers must be less that ten.
It was simple to try various combinations.
• Aug 9th 2008, 05:23 PM
Dubulus
my bad i thought the problem was saying a.b as in a decimal, ex 4.6 not 4*6
• Aug 11th 2008, 05:17 AM
mr fantastic
Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubulus
a = 17
b = 0

17.0 + 17 + 0 = 34

why is that the only answer?
b needs to be 0 because otherwise the sum would have a decimal in it. since 34 is an integer, we cannot have that.

Since when does 17.0 = 17 ......?
• Aug 11th 2008, 07:35 AM
Dubulus
17.0 = 17 just like 14.5 = 14.50...

if the . has another notation im not familiar with, my bad.
• Oct 19th 2008, 05:50 AM
HallsofIvy
Quote:

Originally Posted by mr fantastic
Since when does 17.0 = 17 ......?

Read Dubulus' response. He was interpreting the "." in "a.b" as a decimal point. Certainly 17.0 is the same as 17.

I thought it was a pretty good joke at first!