Problem:
What is the smallest positive integer such that we can find integers and so that has two distinct positive roots less than ?
Solution
Solution:
, which has the double root . So it remains to consider .
- is the sum of the roots, so is negative. is the product of the roots, so is positive. If , then the product of the roots is , which is at least , so both roots cannot lie strictly between and .
If , then the sum of the roots is less than , so must be , , or . The roots are real so . Hence and . But and one root is not less than .
If , then must be , , ..., or . But , so or . In the first and last case, the equation has a root . In the middle case it has a root . Thus there are no solutions for and so the smallest value of is .
Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track
puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.