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The difference of the square of two natural numbers \(m\) and \(n\) (\(m > n\)) is 72. How many pairs of natural numbers will satisfy ?

This question was previously asked in
CDS 2 2024 Maths Question Paper (01-Sep-2024)
The correct answer is
3

To solve the problem of finding the number of pairs of natural numbers \( m \) and \( n \) (where \( m > n \)) such that the difference of their squares is 72, we start by using the formula for the difference of squares:

\(m^2 - n^2 = (m - n)(m + n) = 72\)

Here, we need to find integer solutions for pairs \( (m, n) \) where the product of \((m - n)\) and \((m + n)\) equals 72.

Step-by-step solution:

  1. Identify factor pairs of 72. The factor pairs of 72 are:
    • (1, 72)
    • (2, 36)
    • (3, 24)
    • (4, 18)
    • (6, 12)
    • (8, 9)
  2. Since \( m \) and \( n \) are natural numbers, both \( (m-n) \) and \( (m+n) \) must be positive integers.
  3. Substitute each pair of factors into the equations:
    • \( m - n = 1 \) and \( m + n = 72 \):
      • Adding the two equations: \( 2m = 73 \), which does not give an integer \( m \).
    • \( m - n = 2 \) and \( m + n = 36 \):
      • Adding the two equations: \( 2m = 38 \), thus \( m = 19 \).
      • Subtracting the two equations: \( 2n = 34 \), thus \( n = 17 \).
      • This pair \((m, n) = (19, 17)\) is valid.
    • \( m - n = 3 \) and \( m + n = 24 \):
      • Adding the two equations: \( 2m = 27 \), which does not give an integer \( m \).
    • \( m - n = 4 \) and \( m + n = 18 \):
      • Adding the two equations: \( 2m = 22 \), thus \( m = 11 \).
      • Subtracting the two equations: \( 2n = 14 \), thus \( n = 7 \).
      • This pair \((m, n) = (11, 7)\) is valid.
    • \( m - n = 6 \) and \( m + n = 12 \):
      • Adding the two equations: \( 2m = 18 \), thus \( m = 9 \).
      • Subtracting the two equations: \( 2n = 6 \), thus \( n = 3 \).
      • This pair \((m, n) = (9, 3)\) is valid.
    • \( m - n = 8 \) and \( m + n = 9 \):
      • Adding the two equations: \( 2m = 17 \), which does not give an integer \( m \).

From the above calculations, the valid pairs are: (19, 17), (11, 7), and (9, 3). Therefore, there are 3 pairs of natural numbers that satisfy the given condition.

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