To find the answer to "What two numbers have a product of 174 and a sum of -47?" we first state what we know. We are looking for x and y and we know that x • y = 174 and x + y = -47.
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 = -47 and solve it for y to get y = -47 - x. Then, we replace y in x • y = 174 with -47 - x to get this:
x • (-47 - x) = 174
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 174 and a sum of -47. The numbers are:
-42.94865
-4.05135
That's it! The two numbers that have a product of 174 and a sum of -47 are -42.94865 and -4.05135 as proven below:
-42.94865 • -4.05135 ≈ 174
-42.94865 + -4.05135 = -47
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.