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Estonian Math Competitions

Geometry Difficulty 4.8 AIME Prove it Estonia

Is it possible that the perimeter of a triangle whose side lengths are integers, is divisible by the double of the longest side length?

Solution

Let the side lengths of the triangle be integers aa, bb, cc. Without loss of generality we may assume that c≥ac \ge a and c≥bc \ge b. Suppose that the perimeter of the triangle a+b+ca+b+c is divisible by double of the longest side length 2c2c. Since 0<a+b+c≤3c<2⋅2c0 < a+b+c \le 3c < 2 \cdot 2c, the perimeter a+b+ca+b+c can be divisible by 2c2c only in the case when a+b+c=2ca+b+c = 2c. But then a+b=ca+b = c, which violates the triangle inequality a+b>ca+b > c.

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