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Romanian Mathematical Olympiad

Number theory Difficulty 6.0 National Olympiad Prove it Romania

For any non-zero natural number nn consider the set
A={n2,n2+1,n2+2,…,(n+1)2}. A = \{n^2, n^2 + 1, n^2 + 2, \dots, (n+1)^2\}.
Find the numbers a,b,c∈Aa, b, c \in A, a<b<ca < b < c, knowing that bb is the geometric mean of the numbers aa and cc.

Solution

From b2=acb^2 = ac it follows that ba=cb=xy\frac{b}{a} = \frac{c}{b} = \frac{x}{y}, where x,y∈N∗,(x,y)=1x, y \in \mathbb{N}^*, (x, y) = 1 and x>yx > y. Therefore, b=axyb = \frac{a x}{y}, c=a(xy)2c = a \left(\frac{x}{y}\right)^2.
Since c=a(xy)2∈N∗c = a \left(\frac{x}{y}\right)^2 \in \mathbb{N}^* and (x,y)=1(x, y) = 1, it follows that ay2∈N∗\frac{a}{y^2} \in \mathbb{N}^*, so a=py2a = p y^2, where p∈N∗p \in \mathbb{N}^*. The numbers are a=py2a = p y^2, b=pxyb = p x y, c=px2c = p x^2, where x,y∈N∗,x>yx, y \in \mathbb{N}^*, x > y, p∈N∗p \in \mathbb{N}^*.
From a∈Aa \in A follows that yp≥ny \sqrt{p} \ge n and from c∈Ac \in A follows that px≤n+1\sqrt{p} x \le n + 1, hence p(x−y)≤1\sqrt{p}(x-y) \le 1 and, since x−y≥1x-y \ge 1, it follows that 1≥p(x−y)≥p1 \ge \sqrt{p}(x-y) \ge \sqrt{p} and, since p∈N∗p \in \mathbb{N}^*, we deduce p=1p = 1.
We obtain n≤y<x≤n+1n \le y < x \le n + 1, so y=n,x=n+1y = n, x = n + 1 and the solution a=n2a = n^2, b=n(n+1)b = n(n + 1), c=(n+1)2c = (n + 1)^2.

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