The product of two POSITIVE numbers is greatest when their difference in absolute value is as small as possible. Since x-y > 6, the smallest their difference can be is 7, and since they can both be negative integers, their sum will always be less than 16, so their POSITIVE product gets larger and larger without bound. For instance if -10000 and y=-10007, x+y=-20007 < 16 and x-y=7>6, then xy=100070000. And we can get xy larger and larger. There is no solution because there can be no largest value of xy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Perhaps you meant that x and y are both POSITIVE integers, and cannot be negative? If so, then there is a solution. Since to get the largest product, their difference must be as small as possible, and the smallest their difference can be is 7, then x = y+7, x+y < 16 Substituting y+7 for x y+7+y < 16 2y+7 < 16 2y < 9 y < 4.5 and since y is an integer, the largest y can be is 4, and the largest x can be is 4+7 or 11. So the largest possible product xy is (4)(11) = 44. That is the solution if x and y are POSITIVE integers. Edwin