Let a be the smallest integer satisfying the inequality x^2 - 15 < 12x + 7x - 3, and let b be the largest integer satisfying the same inequality. What is b-a?
x^2 - 15 < 12x + 7x - 3
x^2 - 19x -12 < 0 Use quadratic formula x = 19/2 +- sqrt(409)/2
or b =19 a = 0 (as largest and smallest integers) b-a then becomes 19