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Algebra Difficulty 6.0 National olympiad Prove it Greece

Determine positive integers xx, yy, zz which satisfy the system
x+y+z=xy+yz+zxxyz=1. \begin{aligned} x + y + z &= xy + yz + zx \\ xyz &= 1. \end{aligned}
and have the least possible sum.

Solution

First solution
We write the system in the form
xy+yz+zx=x+y+z(1) xy + yz + zx = x + y + z \quad (1)
xyz=1.(2) xyz = 1. \quad (2)
Subtracting the two equations by parts we find
xyz(xy+yz+zx)=1(x+y+z)xyzxyyzzx+x+y+z1=0xy(z1)x(z1)y(z1)+(z1)=0(z1)(xyxy+1)=0(z1)(x1)(y1)=0x=1 or y=1 or z=1. \begin{aligned} & xyz - (xy + yz + zx) = 1 - (x + y + z) \\ \Leftrightarrow \quad & xyz - xy - yz - zx + x + y + z - 1 = 0 \\ \Leftrightarrow \quad & xy(z - 1) - x(z - 1) - y(z - 1) + (z - 1) = 0 \\ \Leftrightarrow \quad & (z - 1)(xy - x - y + 1) = 0 \\ \Leftrightarrow \quad & (z - 1)(x - 1)(y - 1) = 0 \\ \Leftrightarrow \quad & x = 1 \text{ or } y = 1 \text{ or } z = 1. \end{aligned}
For x=1x=1, from (1) and (2) we have yz=1yz=1, which have the solutions
(y,z)=(a,1a),a>0, (y, z) = \left( a, \frac{1}{a} \right), \quad a > 0,
and so, the solutions of the system are
(x,y,z)=(1,a,1a),a>0. (x, y, z) = \left( 1, a, \frac{1}{a} \right), \quad a > 0.
Similarly, considering y=1y=1 or z=1z=1 we find the solutions
(x,y,z)=(a,1,1a) or (x,y,z)=(a,1a,1),a>0. (x, y, z) = \left( a, 1, \frac{1}{a} \right) \text{ or } (x, y, z) = \left( a, \frac{1}{a}, 1 \right), \quad a > 0.
Since for each a>0a > 0 we have
x+y+z=1+a+1a1+2=3. x + y + z = 1 + a + \frac{1}{a} \ge 1 + 2 = 3.
Equality holds for a=1a=1, it follows that between the solutions of the system, the (x,y,z)=(1,1,1)(x, y, z) = (1, 1, 1) is that having the least possible sum x+y+zx+y+z.

Second solution
Let (x,y,z)(x, y, z) is the solution of the system with the least possible sum. Then, from the inequality of arithmetic – geometric mean we have
x+y+z3xyz3x+y+z3, \frac{x+y+z}{3} \ge \sqrt[3]{xyz} \Rightarrow x+y+z \ge 3,
while equality holds for x=y=zx = y = z.
Hence the least possible value of the sum x+y+zx+y+z, between the solution of the given system is 3 and it happens for x=y=zx = y = z.
For x=y=zx = y = z, from the equation xyz=1xyz = 1, x,y,z>0x, y, z > 0, it follows that x=y=z=1x = y = z = 1, which satisfies also the equation x+y+z=xy+yz+zxx + y + z = xy + yz + zx.

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