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Number theory Difficulty 6.8 National Olympiad Prove it Canada

Problem:
Let (a,b,c)(a, b, c) be a Pythagorean triple, i.e., a triplet of positive integers with a2+b2=c2a^{2}+b^{2}=c^{2}.

a) Prove that (c/a+c/b)2>8(c / a+c / b)^{2}>8.

b) Prove that there does not exist any integer nn for which we can find a Pythagorean triple (a,b,c)(a, b, c) satisfying (c/a+c/b)2=n(c / a+c / b)^{2}=n.

Solution

Solution:
Let (a,b,c)(a, b, c) be a Pythagorean triple. View a,ba, b as lengths of the legs of a right angled triangle with hypotenuse of length cc; let θ\theta be the angle determined by the sides with lengths aa and cc. Then
(ca+cb)2=(1cosθ+1sinθ)2=sin2θ+cos2θ+2sinθcosθ(sinθcosθ)2=4(1+sin2θsin22θ)=4sin22θ+4sin2θ \begin{aligned} \left(\frac{c}{a}+\frac{c}{b}\right)^{2} & =\left(\frac{1}{\cos \theta}+\frac{1}{\sin \theta}\right)^{2}=\frac{\sin ^{2} \theta+\cos ^{2} \theta+2 \sin \theta \cos \theta}{(\sin \theta \cos \theta)^{2}} \\ & =4\left(\frac{1+\sin 2 \theta}{\sin ^{2} 2 \theta}\right)=\frac{4}{\sin ^{2} 2 \theta}+\frac{4}{\sin 2 \theta} \end{aligned}
Note that because 0<θ<900<\theta<90^{\circ}, we have 0<sin2θ10<\sin 2 \theta \leq 1, with equality only if θ=45\theta=45^{\circ}. But then a=ba=b and we obtain 2=c/a\sqrt{2}=c / a, contradicting a,ca, c both being integers. Thus, 0<sin2θ<10<\sin 2 \theta<1 which gives (c/a+c/b)2>8(c / a+c / b)^{2}>8.

Defining θ\theta as in Solution 1, we have c/a+c/b=secθ+cscθc / a+c / b=\sec \theta+\csc \theta. By the AM-GM inequality, we have (secθ+cscθ)/2secθcscθ(\sec \theta+\csc \theta) / 2 \geq \sqrt{\sec \theta \csc \theta}. So
c/a+c/b2sinθcosθ=22sin2θ22 c / a+c / b \geq \frac{2}{\sqrt{\sin \theta \cos \theta}}=\frac{2 \sqrt{2}}{\sqrt{\sin 2 \theta}} \geq 2 \sqrt{2}
Since a,b,ca, b, c are integers, we have c/a+c/b>22c / a+c / b>2 \sqrt{2} which gives (c/a+c/b)2>8(c / a+c / b)^{2}>8.

By simplifying and using the AM-GM inequality,
(ca+cb)2=c2(a+bab)2=(a2+b2)(a+b)2a2b22a2b2(2ab)2a2b2=8 \left(\frac{c}{a}+\frac{c}{b}\right)^{2}=c^{2}\left(\frac{a+b}{a b}\right)^{2}=\frac{\left(a^{2}+b^{2}\right)(a+b)^{2}}{a^{2} b^{2}} \geq \frac{2 \sqrt{a^{2} b^{2}}(2 \sqrt{a b})^{2}}{a^{2} b^{2}}=8
with equality only if a=ba=b. By using the same argument as in Solution 1,a1, a cannot equal bb and the inequality is strict.

(ca+cb)2=c2a2+c2b2+2c2ab=1+b2a2+a2b2+1+2(a2+b2)ab=2+(abba)2+2+2ab((ab)2+2ab)=4+(abba)2+2(ab)2ab+48, \begin{aligned} \left(\frac{c}{a}+\frac{c}{b}\right)^{2} & =\frac{c^{2}}{a^{2}}+\frac{c^{2}}{b^{2}}+\frac{2 c^{2}}{a b}=1+\frac{b^{2}}{a^{2}}+\frac{a^{2}}{b^{2}}+1+\frac{2\left(a^{2}+b^{2}\right)}{a b} \\ & =2+\left(\frac{a}{b}-\frac{b}{a}\right)^{2}+2+\frac{2}{a b}\left((a-b)^{2}+2 a b\right) \\ & =4+\left(\frac{a}{b}-\frac{b}{a}\right)^{2}+\frac{2(a-b)^{2}}{a b}+4 \geq 8, \end{aligned}
with equality only if a=ba=b, which (as argued previously) cannot occur.

Since c/a+c/bc / a+c / b is rational, (c/a+c/b)2(c / a+c / b)^{2} can only be an integer if c/a+c/bc / a+c / b is an integer. Suppose c/a+c/b=mc / a+c / b=m. We may assume that gcd(a,b)=1\operatorname{gcd}(a, b)=1. (If not, divide the common factor from (a,b,c)(a, b, c), leaving mm unchanged.)
Since c(a+b)=mabc(a+b)=m a b and gcd(a,a+b)=1\operatorname{gcd}(a, a+b)=1, aa must divide cc, say c=akc=a k. This gives a2+b2=a2k2a^{2}+b^{2}=a^{2} k^{2} which implies b2=(k21)a2b^{2}=\left(k^{2}-1\right) a^{2}. But then aa divides bb contradicting the fact that gcd(a,b)=1\operatorname{gcd}(a, b)=1. Therefore (c/a+c/b)2(c / a+c / b)^{2} is not equal to any integer nn.

We begin as in Solution 1, supposing that c/a+c/b=mc / a+c / b=m with gcd(a,b)=1\operatorname{gcd}(a, b)=1. Hence aa and bb are not both even. It is also the case that aa and bb are not both odd, for then c2=a2+b22(mod4)c^{2}=a^{2}+b^{2} \equiv 2(\bmod 4), and perfect squares are congruent to either 0 or 1 modulo 4. So one of a,ba, b is odd and the other is even. Therefore cc must be odd.
Now c/a+c/b=mc / a+c / b=m implies c(a+b)=mabc(a+b)=m a b, which cannot be true because c(a+b)c(a+b) is odd and mabm a b is even.

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