42 that's my final answer.

72 = 8 * 9

We know that 8 = 2^3 and that 9 = 3^2

Thus, 72 = 2^3 * 3^2 = 2^x * 3^y

From that we can see that x = 3 and y = 2, so x + y = 5. Tada!

8, if the circle is slightly larger than the square it will crossover each side twice. 2 x 4 sides = 8 points of intersection.

3^(5x-4) * a^(4x-3) = 3^(2x-3) * a^(x-2)

3^(5x-4) / 3^(2x-3) = a^(x-2) / a^(4x-3)

3^(5x-4-2x+3) = a^(x-2-4x+3)

3^(3x-1) = a^(-3x+1)

From this, we can deduce that a = 1/3. However, x can essentially be anything. Even when we plug back what "a" is into the original equation, all you get is 3^(x-1) = 3^(x-1) which doesn't really help you … Read more