Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /12 of 62

Algebra Difficulty 4.9 AIME Prove it Ukraine

Does there exist real xx, such that both x+2x + \sqrt{2} and x4+2x^4 + \sqrt{2} are rational?

Solution

Let us suggest that there exist rational a,ba, b, such that: a=x+2a = x + \sqrt{2} and b=x4+2b = x^4 + \sqrt{2}. Thus x=a2x = a - \sqrt{2}. After substitution in another equality we obtain:
b=a44a32+12a28a2+4+2. b = a^4 - 4a^3\sqrt{2} + 12a^2 - 8a\sqrt{2} + 4 + \sqrt{2}.
Right part of equality has to be rational, thus the sum of components that contain 2\sqrt{2} has to equal 0. It is enough to answer the question, whether there exist rational solution of 4a3+8a1=04a^3 + 8a - 1 = 0. It is not difficult to check that there is no solutions. We have a contradiction.

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.