Given the quadratic equations (i) a² - 7a + 12 = 0 and (ii) b² - 3b + 2 = 0, what can be concluded about the relationship between the values of a and b?

Explanation

Solving the first equation: (a - 3)(a - 4) = 0, so a = 3 or 4. Solving the second equation: (b - 2)(b - 1) = 0, so b = 1 or 2. Since the smallest value of a (3) is greater than the largest value of b (2), it follows that a > b.