What is the absolute difference between the cubes of two different non...
Statement (1): One of the integers is 2 greater than the other integer.
This statement tells us that the two integers have a difference of 2.
Let's assume the smaller integer is x, so the larger integer would be x + 2.
The absolute difference between the cubes of the two integers can be expressed as (x + 2)3 - x3.
Expanding this expression, we get (x3 + 6x2 + 12x + 8) - x3, which simplifies to 6x2 + 12x + 8.
We can see that the expression does not yield a unique value for the absolute difference between the cubes. For example, if x = 1, the expression becomes 26, but if x = 2, the expression becomes 56. Therefore, statement (1) alone is not sufficient to determine the absolute difference between the cubes of the two integers.
Statement (2): The square of the sum of the integers is 49 greater than the product of the integers.
This statement can be expressed as (x + (x + 2))2 = x(x + 2) + 49.
Simplifying this equation, we get (2x + 2)2 = x2 + 2x + 49.
Expanding and simplifying further, we have 4x2 + 8x + 4 = x2 + 2x + 49.
Rearranging terms, we get 3x2 + 6x - 45 = 0.
Factoring this quadratic equation, we have (x + 5)(3x - 9) = 0.
From this, we find two possible solutions: x = -5 and x = 3.
However, we are given that the integers are non-negative, so x = -5 is not a valid solution.
Thus, x = 3 is the valid solution.
Now that we know x = 3, we can find the two integers: 3 and 5.
The absolute difference between the cubes of these integers is (53 - 33) = 122.
Therefore, statement (2) alone is sufficient to determine the absolute difference between the cubes of the two integers.
Combined sufficiency:
By combining both statements, we know that one integer is 2 greater than the other (statement 1) and the integers are 3 and 5 (statement 2).
With this information, we can calculate the absolute difference between the cubes, which is 122.
Thus, both statements together are sufficient to determine the absolute difference between the cubes of the two integers.
The answer is (C) BOTH statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question asked, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.