CAT 2018 Slot 2 QA Question & Solution
AlgebraMedium
Question
If the sum of squares of two numbers is 97, then which one of the following cannot be their product?
Options
-32
16
48
64
Solution
Let 'a' and 'b' are those two numbers.
$\Rightarrow$ $a^2+b^2 = 97$
$\Rightarrow$ $a^2+b^2-2ab = 97-2ab$
$\Rightarrow$ $(a-b)^2 = 97-2ab$
We know that $(a-b)^2$ $\geq$ 0
$\Rightarrow$ 97-2ab $\geq$ 0
$\Rightarrow$ ab $\leq$ 48.5
Hence, ab $
eq$ 64. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.
