posted 18 years ago
I guess the issue bowls down to the following propositions.
Proposition 1: If a,b,c, and a1,b1,c1 are integers and a*b*c = a1*b1*c1, then a*b=a1*b1.
This proposition is shown to be false with the sets of numbers 2,3,2 and 4,1,3.
Proposition 2: If a,b,c and a1,b1,c1 are integers and a*b+c = a1*b1+c1,
then a*b=a1*b1.
This proposition can also be shown to be false with the sets of numbers 2,4,1, and 2,3,3.
[ March 15, 2006: Message edited by: Keith Lynn ]
[ March 15, 2006: Message edited by: Keith Lynn ]