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Algebra Difficulty 6.2 National Olympiad Prove it Philippines

Problem:
Let 3x3x, 4y4y, 5z5z form a geometric sequence while 1x\frac{1}{x}, 1y\frac{1}{y}, 1z\frac{1}{z} form an arithmetic sequence. Find the value of xz+zx\frac{x}{z} + \frac{z}{x}.

Solution

Solution:
Let 3x3x, 4y4y, 5z5z be in geometric progression. Then there exists a common ratio rr such that:

4y=3xr,5z=4yr 4y = 3x \cdot r, \quad 5z = 4y \cdot r

From the first equation:
4y=3xr    y=3xr4 4y = 3x r \implies y = \frac{3x r}{4}
From the second equation:
5z=4yr    z=4yr5 5z = 4y r \implies z = \frac{4y r}{5}
Substitute yy from above:
z=453xr4r=3xr25 z = \frac{4}{5} \cdot \frac{3x r}{4} \cdot r = \frac{3x r^2}{5}

Now, 1x\frac{1}{x}, 1y\frac{1}{y}, 1z\frac{1}{z} are in arithmetic progression. So:
21y=1x+1z 2 \cdot \frac{1}{y} = \frac{1}{x} + \frac{1}{z}
Substitute yy and zz in terms of xx and rr:
21y=1x+1z 2 \cdot \frac{1}{y} = \frac{1}{x} + \frac{1}{z}
213xr4=1x+13xr25 2 \cdot \frac{1}{\frac{3x r}{4}} = \frac{1}{x} + \frac{1}{\frac{3x r^2}{5}}
243xr=1x+53xr2 2 \cdot \frac{4}{3x r} = \frac{1}{x} + \frac{5}{3x r^2}
83xr=1x+53xr2 \frac{8}{3x r} = \frac{1}{x} + \frac{5}{3x r^2}
Multiply both sides by 3xr23x r^2:
8r=3r2+5 8 r = 3 r^2 + 5
3r28r+5=0 3 r^2 - 8 r + 5 = 0
Solve this quadratic equation for rr:
r=8±64606=8±26 r = \frac{8 \pm \sqrt{64 - 60}}{6} = \frac{8 \pm 2}{6}
So r=106=53r = \frac{10}{6} = \frac{5}{3} or r=66=1r = \frac{6}{6} = 1

If r=1r = 1, then 3x=4y=5z3x = 4y = 5z, which would make xx, yy, zz all proportional, but then 1x\frac{1}{x}, 1y\frac{1}{y}, 1z\frac{1}{z} would also be in geometric progression, not necessarily arithmetic unless all are equal. Let's check r=53r = \frac{5}{3}.

So r=53r = \frac{5}{3}.

Now, recall:
y=3xr4=3x534=5x4 y = \frac{3x r}{4} = \frac{3x \cdot \frac{5}{3}}{4} = \frac{5x}{4}
z=3xr25=3x(53)25=3x2595=25x15=5x3 z = \frac{3x r^2}{5} = \frac{3x \cdot \left(\frac{5}{3}\right)^2}{5} = \frac{3x \cdot \frac{25}{9}}{5} = \frac{25x}{15} = \frac{5x}{3}

Now, xz+zx\frac{x}{z} + \frac{z}{x}:
xz+zx=x5x3+5x3x=35+53=9+2515=3415 \frac{x}{z} + \frac{z}{x} = \frac{x}{\frac{5x}{3}} + \frac{\frac{5x}{3}}{x} = \frac{3}{5} + \frac{5}{3} = \frac{9 + 25}{15} = \frac{34}{15}

Therefore, the answer is 3415\boxed{\dfrac{34}{15}}.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.