Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /397 of 462

Geometry Difficulty 6.9 National Olympiad Prove it Ireland

Let nn be a positive integer. Describe, in terms of the prime factorisation of nn, the largest integer which is the side length of a square tile which can be used to completely tile a rectangle that is inscribed in a circle of radius nn, if such a tiling is possible.

Solution

This problem is the general version of Problem 16 and the first part of the solution is the same. Let xx be the side length of the square tile. If the rectangle is completely tiled with such square tiles, there exist integers a,ba, b such that the side lengths of the rectangle are axax and bxbx. The diagonals of the rectangle are diameters of the circle and so their length is 2n2n. Applying Pythagoras to the right angled triangle obtained by cutting the rectangle along one of its diagonals, we obtain
(2n)2=x2(a2+b2). (2n)^2 = x^2(a^2 + b^2).

As x,n,a,bx, n, a, b are integers, this implies that xx is a factor of 2n2n and so c=2n/xc = 2n/x is an integer that satisfies c2=a2+b2c^2 = a^2 + b^2. Because we are to find the largest possible x=2n/cx = 2n/c, we are interested in the smallest cc that divides 2n2n and which appears as the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle with integer side lengths.
If we have a divisor cc of 2n2n and a Pythagorean Triple (a,b,c)(a, b, c) with c2=a2+b2c^2 = a^2+b^2, then x=2n/cx = 2n/c is an integer which can be used as the length of a tile with which we can tile an inscribed rectangle of side lengths axax and bxbx.
If the Pythagorean Triple (a,b,c)(a, b, c) is not primitive, there exists an integer tt and a primitive Pythagorean Triple (a,b,c)(a', b', c') such that (a,b,c)=t(a,b,c)(a, b, c) = t(a', b', c'). Because c=tcc = tc' divides 2n2n, cc' divides 2n2n as well. Since ccc' \le c, to find the smallest possible cc it is sufficient to consider primitive Pythagorean Triples.
It is well known that, up to interchanging aa and bb, all primitive Pythagorean Triples (a,b,c)(a, b, c) can be obtained as follows from integers u>vu > v that are coprime and for which uvuv is even:
a=u2v2b=2uvc=u2+v2. a = u^2 - v^2 \quad b = 2uv \quad c = u^2 + v^2.
Therefore, we are interested in finding the smallest positive divisor of 2n2n which can be written as the sum of two distinct and coprime squares of positive integers. Even though it is well known which integers can be written as a sum of two squares, we do not suppose the reader to be familiar with this theory.
If c=u2+v2c = u^2 + v^2 is divisible by a prime pp which is congruent to 3 modulo 4, then both, uu and vv, must be divisible by pp, because otherwise there would exist an integer ss for which s21(modp)s^2 \equiv -1 \pmod p, which is impossible by Fermat's Little Theorem. Therefore, the desired smallest cc cannot be divisible by such a prime number.
It is also well known that an odd prime number can be written as the sum of two squares if and only if it is congruent to 1 modulo 4. If a divisor c=u2+v2c = u^2 + v^2 of 2n2n is divisible by such a prime pp, then pcp \le c and cc can only be the smallest possible choice if c=pc = p.
If cc is not divisible by any odd prime then c=2kc = 2^k. The only way to write 2k2^k as the sum of two squares is 22m=(2m)22^{2m} = (2^m)^2 when k=2mk = 2m is even, and 22m+1=(2m)2+(2m)22^{2m+1} = (2^m)^2 + (2^m)^2 when k=2m+1k = 2m + 1 is odd. To see this, divide the equation 2k=u2+v22^k = u^2 + v^2 across by the highest possible power of 2 which leads either to 1=1+01 = 1+0 or to 2=1+12 = 1+1, because at least one of the three numbers must be odd. Hence, such numbers cc are not of the required form u2+v2u^2 + v^2 with u>v>0u > v > 0.
Hence, the desired smallest cc that divides 2n2n and which appears as the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle with integer side lengths is the smallest prime factor pp of nn which is congruent to 1 modulo 4. If no such prime factor exists, the desired tiling is not possible. If such pp exists, then x=2n/px = 2n/p is the maximal side length of a tile.
If p=u2+v2p = u^2 + v^2 with u>v>0u > v > 0, then u,vu, v are automatically coprime and uvuv is even. We then obtain a=u2v2a = u^2 - v^2 and b=2uvb = 2uv and so the side lengths of the inscribed rectangle are equal to
ax=2anp=2(u2v2)nu2+v2andbx=2bnp=4uvnu2+v2. ax = \frac{2an}{p} = \frac{2(u^2 - v^2)n}{u^2 + v^2} \quad \text{and} \quad bx = \frac{2bn}{p} = \frac{4uvn}{u^2 + v^2}.

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.