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Number theory Difficulty 7.9 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Estonia

Find all natural numbers nn such that the equation x2+y2+z2=nxyzx^2 + y^2 + z^2 = nxyz has solutions in positive integers.

Solution

For n=1n = 1 one of the solutions is x=y=z=3x = y = z = 3 and for n=3n = 3 one of the solutions is x=y=z=1x = y = z = 1.

If nn is even and there exists an integer solution, then the right-hand side of the equation is even. This is possible only if at least one of the numbers x,y,zx, y, z is even. Then the right-hand side is divisible by 44. Since the remainders modulo 44 of the squares of integers can only be 00 or 11, all numbers x,y,zx, y, z must be even. Let x=2ax = 2a, y=2by = 2b, z=2cz = 2c. Then a2+b2+c2=2nabca^2 + b^2 + c^2 = 2nabc, hence (a,b,c)(a, b, c) satisfy a similar equation with doubled nn, so they must be even. Continuing this process reveals that x,y,zx, y, z must be divisible by arbitrarily large powers of 22 which is impossible. Consequently, there are no solutions for even nn.

Suppose that for some odd n>3n > 3 the equation has an integer solution (x,y,z)(x, y, z). The given equation is equivalent to z2nxyz+(x2+y2)=0z^2 - nxy \cdot z + (x^2 + y^2) = 0; let zz' be the other root of this quadratic equation. Then z>0z' > 0 since positive nxynxy and x2+y2x^2 + y^2 enable only positive solutions of the quadratic equation. By Viéte's formulae, z=nxyzz' = nxy - z. On the other hand, assume without loss of generality that z=max(x,y,z)z = \max(x, y, z); then x2xzxyzx^2 \le xz \le xyz and y2yzxyzy^2 \le yz \le xyz, whence z2(n2)xyzz^2 \ge (n-2)xyz and z(n2)xyz \ge (n-2)xy. Therefore z2xy<(n2)xyzz' \le 2xy < (n-2)xy \le z, implying x+y+z<x+y+zx + y + z' < x + y + z. Thus we can infinitely reduce the sum of the components of the solution, which is impossible.

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