topspin330 wrote:Can someone please help solve the following problem:
If m = k · p, where k and m are different positive integers, then does m have more than 5 prime factors?
(1) k has 5 different prime factors.
(2) p has 5 different prime factors.
Thanks.
I'm going to almost agree with Vipulgoyal, but say that the answer should be "C", together.
Also, I'm assuming that the question was correctly transcribed and the "different" wasn't omitted from "does m have more than 5 prime factors"?
Since the Q stem omits the word "different" and the statements include that word, we have to treat the stem as implying that we count each prime factor once for each time it appears; in other words, if there are two 2s, that counts as 2 prime factors.
From (1), we know that k has 5 primes, but p could be a fraction and therefore m could have fewer primes than k.
For example, if k=2*3*5*7*11 and p=1/2, then the only prime factors of m would be 3, 5, 7 and 11.
From (2), we know that p has at least 5 primes and that k has to be an integer, but if k=1 then m=p and therefore m could only have 5 primes as well. (We know that k and m are different, but nothing says that m can't equal p!)
Together, we know that if k and p each have at least 5 prime factors, then m must have at least 10 prime factors, giving us a definite "yes". Choose C!