What is the length of the diagonal?

answer: -8.2562234e+13

hello from mrbilldoesmath!

answer:   (7x + 6y) ( 49x^2 - 42xy + 36y^2)

discussion:

in general, the factorization of a^3 + b^3 is

a^3 + b^ 3 = (a + b) ( a^2 - ab + b^2)

in our case note that 343 = 7^3 and 216 = 6^3 so the equation becomes:

343x^3 + 216y^3 = (7x)^3 + (6y)^3

if you think of a (above) as 7x and b as 6y the factorization becomes

343x^3 + 216y^3 =

((7x + 6y) (   (7x)^2 - 7x*6y + (6y)^2)   =

(7x + 6y) ( 49x^2 - 42xy + 36y^2)

you,

mrb

(a + b) (a^2 - a b + b^2)

let x and 400 - x be the two numbers.  

==> 0.80x + 0.85(400 - x) = 400 - 68 from the statement of the problem.  

< ==> 0.80x + 0.85(400 - x) = 400 - 68  

==> 340 - 0.05x = 332  

< ==> -0.05x = -8 ==> x = 160, the first number ==> 400 - x = 240, the second number.

he has 140 chickens because he has 10 times more chickens than ducks and he has 14 ducks so 14*10=140