What is the smallest positive integer for which is an integer?
The average of 3 and 11 is . The average of and is 11. What is the value of ?
Charlie is 30 years older than his daughter Bella. Charlie is also six times as old as Bella. Determine Charlie’s age.
CEMC Euclid, 2013
Solution
The expression is an integer whenever is a perfect square.
To find the smallest positive integer for which is a perfect square, we find the smallest perfect square larger than 113.
Since and , then this perfect square must be 121.
Therefore, or .
The average of 3 and 11 is . Thus .
Using this with the given information, we see that the average of 7 and is 11.
Therefore, or and so .
(Alternatively, we could note that since 7 is 4 less than 11 (the average), then must be 4 more than 11, so .)
Let be Charlie’s age in years and be Bella’s age in years.
From the first sentence, .
From the second sentence, .
Combining these, we obtain or , and so .
Since , then , and so Charlie’s age is 36.
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