Problem:
Find all values of the real parameters and such that the graph of the function has exactly three common points with the coordinate axes and they are vertices of a right triangle.
Solution
Solution:
The first condition of the problem is equivalent to the assertion that the equation has a double real root and a simple real root , where . Therefore
We also have , where , , and . Hence , i.e. . Since and , we get . On the other hand, we have and therefore . Hence and . Then
and . The above arguments imply as well that these two values of are solutions indeed.
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.