Answer:
28
Step-by-step explanation:
You want the smaller of the two factors of 896 that have the ratio 8:7.
<h3>Setup</h3>
Let x represent the smaller of the two factors (the one we want to find). Then the larger factor is (8/7)x, and their product is ...
x(8/7)x = 896
(8/7)x² = 896
<h3>Solution</h3>
Multiplying by the inverse of the coefficient of x², we have ...
x² = (7/8)(896) = 784
x = √784 = 28 . . . . . . . . take square root
The smaller of the two numbers is 28.
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<em>Additional comment</em>
The larger is (8/7)(28) = 32.
