Answer:
30° is the difference if they are supplement
15° is the difference if they are complementary
Step-by-step explanation:
Let 5x = the measure of the smaller angle
and 7x = the measure of the larger angle
If they are supplementary, then 5x + 7x = 180
12x = 180
x = 15
5x = 5(15) = 75 = the measure of the smaller angle
7x = 7(15) = 105 = the measure of the larger angle
105 - 75 = 30 = difference of the measures
Now, if they are complementary, then 5x + 7x = 90
12x = 90
x = 7.5
5x = 7(7.5) = 37.5 = the measure of the smaller angle
7x = 7(7.5) = 52.5 = the measure of the larger angle
52.5 - 37.5 = 15 = difference of the measures
