Let be a real parameter. Determine the number of real solutions to the system
in terms of .
Solution
We distinguish several cases.
First, assume . Then the whole system reduces to . Its solution is a triplet for any and moreover triplet if .
Let's get back to the original system. Subtracting the second equation from the first one yields
which rewrites as
Similarly, subtracting the third equation from the second one yields
If , the equations (1), (2) reduce to
Subtracting these two equations we arrive at implying that
and . However that's impossible since for we get
and likewise and so altogether .
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 (the
case has already been solved). Equation (1) then implies ,
that is , and the original system reduces to a single equation
Let us remark that any solution to equation (3) is a solution we haven't found yet, because equality i.e. is only possible for and yields which is not a solution to the original system.
For the equation (3) is linear with a unique solution . This yields
solution and its two permutations.
For the equation (3) is quadratic and has real solutions if and only if
which translates to . For there is a unique solution
which yields the three permutations of as solutions to the original system.
For , the quadratic equation (3) has
two distinct solutions
that give two distinct values . The original system thus has six solutions: three permutations of and three permutations of .
The following table summarizes the number of solutions to the given system in
terms of :
| Interval for | | | Equation (3) | Total |
|------------------|-------------|-------------------------------|-------------|-------|
| | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |