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Algebra Difficulty 7.3 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Czech Republic

Let kk be a real parameter. Determine the number of real solutions to the system
x2+kxy+y2=z,y2+kyz+z2=x,z2+kzx+x2=y, \begin{align*} x^2 + kxy + y^2 &= z, \\ y^2 + kyz + z^2 &= x, \\ z^2 + kzx + x^2 &= y, \end{align*}
in terms of kk.

Solution

We distinguish several cases.

First, assume x=y=zx = y = z. Then the whole system reduces to (k+2)x2=x(k+2)x^2 = x. Its solution is a triplet (0,0,0)(0, 0, 0) for any kk and moreover triplet (1k+2,1k+2,1k+2)\left(\frac{1}{k+2}, \frac{1}{k+2}, \frac{1}{k+2}\right) if k2k \neq -2.

Let's get back to the original system. Subtracting the second equation from the first one yields
(x2z2)+ky(xz)=zx (x^2 - z^2) + ky(x - z) = z - x
which rewrites as
(xz)(x+z+ky+1)=0.(1) (x - z)(x + z + ky + 1) = 0. \tag{1}
Similarly, subtracting the third equation from the second one yields
(yx)(y+x+kz+1)=0.(2) (y - x)(y + x + kz + 1) = 0. \tag{2}
If xyzxx \neq y \neq z \neq x, the equations (1), (2) reduce to
x+z+ky+1=0,y+x+kz+1=0. \begin{align*} x + z + ky + 1 &= 0, \\ y + x + kz + 1 &= 0. \end{align*}
Subtracting these two equations we arrive at (yz)(k1)=0(y-z)(k-1) = 0 implying that k=1k=1
and x+y+z=1x+y+z=-1. However that's impossible since for k=1k=1 we get
z=x2+xy+y2=(x+y2)2+3y240 z = x^2 + xy + y^2 = \left(x + \frac{y}{2}\right)^2 + \frac{3y^2}{4} \ge 0
and likewise x0x \ge 0 and y0y \ge 0 so altogether x+y+z0x + y + z \ge 0.

We found out that in every solution to the original system, some two unknowns
have the same value. As the system is cyclic, let us from now on assume x=yzx = y \neq z (the
case x=y=zx = y = z has already been solved). Equation (1) then implies x+y+ky+1=0x+y+ky+1=0,
that is x=(k+1)y1x = -(k+1)y - 1, and the original system reduces to a single equation
(k+2)y2+(k+1)y+1=0.(3) (k + 2)y^2 + (k + 1)y + 1 = 0. \tag{3}
Let us remark that any solution to equation (3) is a solution we haven't found yet, because equality x=yx = y i.e. y=(k+1)y1y = -(k+1)y - 1 is only possible for k2k \neq -2 and yields x=y=z=1/(k+2)x = y = z = -1/(k+2) which is not a solution to the original system.

For k=2k = -2 the equation (3) is linear with a unique solution y=1y = 1. This yields
solution (0,1,1)(0, 1, 1) and its two permutations.

For k2k \neq -2 the equation (3) is quadratic and has real solutions if and only if
D=(k+1)24(k+2)=k22k70, D = (k + 1)^2 - 4(k + 2) = k^2 - 2k - 7 \geq 0,
which translates to k(122,1+22)k \notin (1-2\sqrt{2}, 1+2\sqrt{2}). For k=1±22k = 1 \pm 2\sqrt{2} there is a unique solution
y0=k+12(k+2)=12ax0=(k+1)22(k+2)1=1. y_0 = -\frac{k+1}{2(k+2)} = 1 \mp \sqrt{2} \quad \text{a} \quad x_0 = \frac{(k+1)^2}{2(k+2)} - 1 = 1.
which yields the three permutations of (x0,y0,y0)(x_0, y_0, y_0) as solutions to the original system.

For k(,2)(2,122)(1+22,)k \in (-\infty, -2) \cup (-2, 1-2\sqrt{2}) \cup (1+2\sqrt{2}, \infty), the quadratic equation (3) has
two distinct solutions
y1,2=k1±k22k72(k+2), y_{1,2} = \frac{-k - 1 \pm \sqrt{k^2 - 2k - 7}}{2(k + 2)},
that give two distinct values x1,2=(k+1)y1,21x_{1,2} = -(k+1)y_{1,2} - 1. The original system thus has six solutions: three permutations of (x1,y1,y1)(x_1, y_1, y_1) and three permutations of (x2,y2,y2)(x_2, y_2, y_2).

The following table summarizes the number of solutions to the given system in
terms of kk:

| Interval for kk | (0,0,0)(0, 0, 0) | (1/(k+2),1/(k+2),1/(k+2))(1/(k+2), 1/(k+2), 1/(k+2)) | Equation (3) | Total |
|------------------|-------------|-------------------------------|-------------|-------|
| (,2)(-\infty, -2) | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| (2,122)(-2, 1 - 2\sqrt{2}) | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| 1221 - 2\sqrt{2} | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| (122,1+22)(1 - 2\sqrt{2}, 1 + 2\sqrt{2}) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1+221 + 2\sqrt{2} | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| (1+22,)(1 + 2\sqrt{2}, \infty) | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |

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