The evidence seems to support that

Algebra Level 3

I have 2 numbers that satisfy the following properties:

  • The sum of these 2 numbers is equal to one of these numbers.

  • The difference between these 2 numbers is equal to one of these numbers.

  • The product of these 2 numbers is equal to one of these numbers.

Is it true that the ratio of these 2 numbers must be equal to one of these numbers as well?

Yes, it is true No, it is not true

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1 solution

Suppose the two numbers are x , y x,y . Now x = y = 0 x = y = 0 satisfies the given conditions, but the ratio 0 0 \dfrac{0}{0} is undefined, i.e., not (definitively) 0 0 , so the answer is No \boxed{\text{No}} .

Comments: Out of interest, we'll determine all possible pairs x , y x,y which satisfy the given three conditions. From the first condition we have that x + y x + y equals one of x , y x,y ; without loss of generality let x + y = x y = 0 x + y = x \Longrightarrow y = 0 .

From the third condition we have that x y = 0 xy = 0 , which will hold for any x x since y = 0 y = 0 .

From the second condition we can have any of (i) x 0 = x x - 0 = x , a tautology, (ii) x 0 = 0 x = 0 x - 0 = 0 \Longrightarrow x = 0 , (iii) 0 x = x x = 0 0 - x = x \Longrightarrow x = 0 or (iv) 0 x = 0 x = 0 0 - x = 0 \Longrightarrow x = 0 .

So one of x , y x,y must be 0 0 , but the other can be any real number. Now for x 0 x \ne 0 we could have the ratio being 0 x = 0 \dfrac{0}{x} = 0 , which is indeed one of the two numbers, but as this is not the case when x = 0 x = 0 we must conclude that the statement in question is not true for all cases.

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