The product of two numbers (or factors) is not greater than both of its factors when at least one of the factors is zero or when both factors are less than or equal to one.
This can be summarized in two main cases:
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When one of the factors is zero: If either factor is zero, the product will always be zero. For example, if \( a = 0 \) and \( b \) is any number, then \( a \times b = 0 \), which is not greater than \( a \) or \( b \) (if \( b \) is positive).
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When both factors are less than or equal to one: If both factors are between 0 and 1 (inclusive), their product will be less than or equal to each factor. For example:
- If \( a = 0.5 \) and \( b = 0.5 \), then \( a \times b = 0.25 \), which is less than both \( a \) and \( b \).
- If \( a = 1 \) and \( b = 1 \), then \( a \times b = 1 \), which is equal to both \( a \) and \( b \), not greater.
In summary, the product of two factors is not greater than both of them when one factor is zero or when both factors lie between 0 and 1 (inclusive).
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