Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /54 of 80

Algebra Difficulty 5.2 AIME, harder Prove it North Macedonia

The roots of the quadratic equation x2+px+q=0x^2 + p x + q = 0 are integers. Find the numbers pp and qq and the roots of the equation, if p+q=198p + q = 198.

Solution

If x1x_1 and x2x_2 are the roots of the equation x2+px+q=0x^2 + p x + q = 0, then by Viete's formulas we obtain
{x1+x2=px1x2=q \begin{cases} x_1 + x_2 = -p \\ x_1 x_2 = q \end{cases}
Because 198=p+q=(x1+x2)+x1x2=(x11)(x21)1198 = p + q = -(x_1 + x_2) + x_1 x_2 = (x_1 - 1)(x_2 - 1) - 1, it follows that (x11)(x21)=199(x_1 - 1)(x_2 - 1) = 199. Since x1,x2x_1, x_2 are integers and x11,x21x_1 - 1, x_2 - 1 are integers and 199199 is a prime number
{x11=1x21=199 or {x11=1x21=199 \begin{cases} x_1 - 1 = 1 \\ x_2 - 1 = 199 \end{cases} \text{ or } \begin{cases} x_1 - 1 = -1 \\ x_2 - 1 = -199 \end{cases}
The solution (x1,x2)(x_1, x_2) of the system is (2,200)(2, 200) and (0,198)(0, 198). From (2,200)(2, 200), we have p=202p = -202, q=400q = 400, x1=2x_1 = 2, x2=200x_2 = 200, and from (0,198)(0, 198), p=198p = -198, q=0q = 0, x1=0x_1 = 0, x2=198x_2 = 198.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

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