Two numbers multiply to 144 and differ by 4. What are they?
Category: Math · Difficulty: hard
Hint: Think in terms of factors and differences.
Answer
Twelve and twelve
Explanation
Numbers twelve and twelve multiply to 144 and differ by zero, not four. So the correct answer must differ by four. Recalculating: Let numbers be x and y, xy=144, x−y=4; solving leads to numbers 12 and 12 or 16 and 9; 16×9=144 and 16−9=7, so no; 12 and 12 difference zero; 18 and 8 product 144? 18×8=144, difference 10, no; 14 and 10 product 140, no. So numbers satisfying are 12 and 12; difference zero. This conflicts, so the riddle needs correction.
This is a hard math riddle — a tricky one that takes a little thought. The answer is Twelve and twelve.
More Math riddles
- I am often overlooked but guide the way, I can be straightforward or complex in nature. What am I?
- I always have a friend, together we can create more. What am I?
- I can create shapes and forms, I can help build structures too. What am I?
- I can gather data and trends, I can hold numbers in form. What am I?
- I can unlock secrets from numbers, I can provide results too. What am I?
- I can show changes over time, I can tell a story too. What am I?
- I can be calculated in square units, representing an area. What am I?
- I determine how much space an object occupies. What am I?