document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=238038>Question 238038</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Positive integers B and C satisfy B(B-C) = 17. What is the value of C? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #174931 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jsmallt9><B>jsmallt9(3758)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jsmallt9><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=174931\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Solving this problem requires more logic than Algebra. The key is to recognize that 17 is a prime number. And the only factors a prime number has are 1 and itself (or -1 and the negative of itself. But the problem says B and C are positive so we will ignore the negatives.)<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "So B and (B-C) must be 1 and 17. We just have to figure out which is which. Since B and C are positive, B must be larger than (B-C). So<BR>\n" );
document.write( "B = 17 and (B-C) = 1<BR>\n" );
document.write( "And we can solve this for C:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "(17-C) = 1<BR>\n" );
document.write( "17 = 1 + C<BR>\n" );
document.write( "16 = C<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "So B = 17 and C = 16. </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</TD></TR></TABLE>\n" );