Three positive numbers are in the ratio of 3:4:5. When the square of the middle is subtracted from the product of the two numbers, the answer is? Find the numbers
Let the three numbers be 3x, 4x, and 5x, where x is a positive constant.
The product of the two numbers is (3x)(5x) = 15x^2.
The square of the middle number is (4x)^2 = 16x^2.
When the square of the middle number is subtracted from the product of the two numbers, we have 15x^2 - 16x^2 = -x^2.
Thus, the answer is -x^2, which depends on the value of x.
To find the numbers, let's assign the ratio values as follows:
Let the three numbers be 3x, 4x, and 5x.
Now, we need to find the product of the first and third numbers subtracted by the square of the second number:
Product of first and third numbers = (3x) * (5x) = 15x^2
Square of the second number = (4x)^2 = 16x^2
Subtracting the square of the second number from the product of the first and third numbers:
15x^2 - 16x^2 = -x^2
Therefore, the answer is -x^2.