Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 4.7 AIME Prove it United States

Problem:

Suppose xx is a rational number such that x2x \sqrt{2} is also rational. Find xx.

Solution

Solution:

Suppose x0x \neq 0. Then x2x=2\frac{x \sqrt{2}}{x} = \sqrt{2} is the quotient of two nonzero rationals, and so is rational. However, it is well-known that 2\sqrt{2} is irrational. Therefore any solution xx must satisfy x=0x = 0. We can see that 00 is rational and 02=00 \sqrt{2} = 0 is rational, so the answer is indeed x=0x = 0.

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