GreenlightTestPrep wrote:
The equation x+y=xy=xy has how many real solutions?
A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3
E) More than 3
To begin, if
xy=xy, we can conclude that
y≠0, otherwise
xy is
undefined.
Take:
xy=xyMultiply both sides of the equation by
y to get:
xy2=xSubtract
x from both sides to get:
xy2−x=0Factor to get:
x(y2−1)=0Factor again to get:
x(y−1)(y+1)=0There are 3 POSSIBLE solutions to the above equation:
x=0,
y=1 and
y=−1Let's examine each possible case:
case i:
x=0Substitute this into the original equation to get:
0+y=(0)y=0yFor this equation to hold true, we need
y=0, but we already showed that
y cannot equal
0So, it can't be the case that
x=0 case ii:
y=1Substitute this into the original equation to get:
x+1=x(1)=x1Simplify:
x+1=x=xSince there are no solutions to the equation
x+1=x, it can't be the case that
y=1 case iii:
y=−1Substitute this into the original equation to get:
x+(−1)=x(−1)=x−1Simplify:
x−1=−x=−xNow take:
x−1=−xAdd
x to both sides:
2x−1=0Add
1 to both sides:
2x=1Solve:
x=0.5So,
x=0.5 and
y=−1 is the ONLY possible solution to the given equation.
Answer: B
Cheers,
Brent