December 2021
Problem of the Month

The Smaller Number
by Michael Stueben from Twenty Years Before the Blackboard

Given two real numbers a and b, write one expression equal to the smaller of the two numbers.

In other words, write an expression for the piecewise defined expression:
   

Hint: use the operations add, subtract, absolute value, and either multiplication or division.

Solution to the Problem:

The expression is:    

Check it:

Correctly solved by:

1. Veena Mg	Bangalore, Karnataka, India
2. Colin (Yowie) Bowey	Beechworth, Victoria, Australia
3. Sapna Dominic and Ivy Joseph	Pune, Maharashtra, India
4. Kelly Stubblefield	Mobile, Alabama

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher