To find the answer to "What two numbers have a product of -16 and a sum of -26?" we first state what we know. We are looking for x and y and we know that x • y = -16 and x + y = -26.
Before we keep going, it is important to know that x • y is the same as y • x and x + y is the same as y + x. The two variables are interchangeable. Which means that when we create one equation to solve the problem, we will have two answers.
To solve the problem, we take x + y = -26 and solve it for y to get y = -26 - x. Then, we replace y in x • y = -16 with -26 - x to get this:
x • (-26 - x) = -16
Like we said above, the x and y are interchangeable, therefore the x in the equation above could also be y. The bottom line is that when we solved the equation we got two answers which are the two numbers that have a product of -16 and a sum of -26. The numbers are:
-26.60147
0.60147
That's it! The two numbers that have a product of -16 and a sum of -26 are -26.60147 and 0.60147 as proven below:
-26.60147 • 0.60147 ≈ -16
-26.60147 + 0.60147 = -26
Note: Answers are rounded up to the nearest five decimals if necessary so the answers may not be exact.
Product Sum Calculator
Need the answer to a similar problem? Submit another product and sum below to find the two numbers that make your product and sum.