# Math Help - How I can solve that question?

1. ## How I can solve that question?

$a.b+a+b=34$

$a+b=?$

2. do a and b have to be integers?

3. Originally Posted by Dubulus
do a and b have to be integers?
yeah!

4. $a + b = 10$????????

5. 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.

6. 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!
$a = 4\,\& \,b = 6$
$(4)(6)+(4)+(6)=34$

7. Originally Posted by Plato
$a + b = 10$????????
Yes, correct. Can you explain the solve?

8. 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.

9. my bad i thought the problem was saying a.b as in a decimal, ex 4.6 not 4*6

10. 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 ......?

11. 17.0 = 17 just like 14.5 = 14.50...

if the . has another notation im not familiar with, my bad.

12. 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!