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algebra intermediate

Problem

The symbols , , , represent four different integers from 1 to 9. Using the equations below, what is the value of ?
Solution
For simplicity, replace the triangle with the letter , the square with the letter , the diamond with the letter , and the club with the letter . The three given equations become We want to find the value of . We can substitute the second equation into the third equation to eliminate , to get . Since , , , and are all integers from 1 to 9, we know that must be either 4 or 8 and correspondingly either 1 or 2. The first case, and , does not work because plugging those two values into the third given equation gives , which is impossible if is an integer. Thus, and . Plugging these values into the third given equation to solve for , we have . Plugging and into the first equation to solve for , we have . Thus, the value of the square is .
Final answer
3