Carcass wrote:
The function f(x, y) is defined as the geometric mean of x and y (geometric mean of x and y equals \(\sqrt{xy}\) ), and the function g(x, y) is defined as the least common multiple of x and y. a and b are two different prime numbers.
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
f(a, b) |
g(a, b) |
A) Quantity A is greater.
B) Quantity B is greater.
C) The two quantities are equal.
D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Let's make some observations about the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of two DIFFERENT PRIME numbers:
The LCM of 2 and 3 is 6
The LCM of 5 and 3 is 15
The LCM of 2 and 7 is 14
The LCM of 5 and 11 is 55
The LCM of 3 and 13 is 39
In general, if a and b are DIFFERENT PRIME numbers, then their LCM =
abGIVEN: The geometric mean of a and b =
√abWe get:
QUANTITY A:
√abQUANTITY B:
abSince ab > 1, we know that
ab >
√abAnswer: B
Cheers,
Brent