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Romanian Mathematical Olympiad

Algebra Difficulty 6.3 National Olympiad Prove it Romania

Solve in R\mathbb{R} the equation:
1{x}+1[x]+1x=0, \frac{1}{\{x\}} + \frac{1}{[x]} + \frac{1}{x} = 0,

where [x][x] and {x}\{x\} denote the integer part and the fractional part of the real number xx, respectively.

Solution

First, we have that x∈R∖(Z∪[0,1))x \in \mathbb{R} \setminus (\mathbb{Z} \cup [0, 1)). The given equation is equivalent to:
[x]+{x}[x]{x}=−1x⇔−x2=[x]{x}.(∗) \frac{[x] + \{x\}}{[x]\{x\}} = -\frac{1}{x} \Leftrightarrow -x^2 = [x]\{x\}. \quad (*)
Since −x2≤0-x^2 \le 0 and x≠0x \ne 0, we have [x]{x}<0[x]\{x\} < 0, hence [x]≤−1[x] \le -1. Because [x]=−k[x] = -k, with k∈N∗k \in \mathbb{N}^*, equation (∗)(*) becomes −x2=−k(k+x)-x^2 = -k(k+x), which is equivalent to x2−kx−k2=0x^2 - kx - k^2 = 0, having solutions x1,2=k±k52x_{1,2} = \frac{k \pm k\sqrt{5}}{2}.
From [x]=−k[x] = -k, we obtain that the only possible solution is x1=k−k52x_1 = \frac{k-k\sqrt{5}}{2}.
Finally, we must find the values of k∈N∗k \in \mathbb{N}^* for which [k−k52]=−k\left[\frac{k-k\sqrt{5}}{2}\right] = -k, which is equivalent to: −k≤k1−52<−k+1⇔3k≥k5>3k−2-k \le k \frac{1-\sqrt{5}}{2} < -k+1 \Leftrightarrow 3k \ge k\sqrt{5} > 3k-2, from which we obtain k<3+52k < \frac{3+\sqrt{5}}{2}, i.e., k∈{1,2}k \in \{1, 2\}. From here we obtain the solutions x1∗=1−52x_1^* = \frac{1-\sqrt{5}}{2} and x2∗=1−5x_2^* = 1-\sqrt{5}, which satisfy the given equation.

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