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Geometry Difficulty 6.3 National olympiad Prove it United States

We say a nondegenerate triangle whose angles have measures θ1,θ2,θ3\theta_1, \theta_2, \theta_3 is *quirky* if there exists integers r1,r2,r3r_1, r_2, r_3, not all zero, such that
r1θ1+r2θ2+r3θ3=0. r_1\theta_1 + r_2\theta_2 + r_3\theta_3 = 0.
Find all integers n3n \ge 3 for which a triangle with side lengths n1,n,n+1n-1, n, n+1 is quirky.

Solution

The answer is n=3,4,5,7n = 3, 4, 5, 7.
We first introduce a variant of the kkth Chebyshev polynomials in the following lemma (which is standard, and easily shown by induction).

Lemma
For each k0k \ge 0 there exists Pk(X)Z[X]P_k(X) \in \mathbb{Z}[X], monic for k1k \ge 1 and with degree kk, such that
Pk(X+X1)Xk+Xk. P_k(X + X^{-1}) \equiv X^k + X^{-k}.
The first few are P0(X)2P_0(X) \equiv 2, P1(X)XP_1(X) \equiv X, P2(X)X22P_2(X) \equiv X^2 - 2, P3(X)X33XP_3(X) \equiv X^3 - 3X.

Suppose the angles of the triangle are α<β<γ\alpha < \beta < \gamma, so the law of cosines implies that
2cosα=n+4n+1and2cosγ=n4n1. 2 \cos \alpha = \frac{n+4}{n+1} \quad \text{and} \quad 2 \cos \gamma = \frac{n-4}{n-1}.

Claim — The triangle is quirky iff there exists r,sZ0r, s \in \mathbb{Z}_{\ge 0} not both zero such that
cos(rα)=±cos(sγ)or equivalentlyPr(n+4n+1)=±Ps(n4n1). \cos(r\alpha) = \pm \cos(s\gamma) \quad \text{or equivalently} \quad P_r\left(\frac{n+4}{n+1}\right) = \pm P_s\left(\frac{n-4}{n-1}\right).
*Proof.* If there are integers x,y,zx, y, z for which xα+yβ+zγ=0x\alpha + y\beta + z\gamma = 0, then we have that (xy)α=(yz)γπy(x - y)\alpha = (y - z)\gamma - \pi y, whence it follows that we may take r=xyr = |x - y| and s=yzs = |y - z| (noting r=s=0r = s = 0 implies the absurd x=y=zx = y = z). Conversely, given such rr and ss with cos(rα)=±cos(sγ)\cos(r\alpha) = \pm \cos(s\gamma), then it follows that rα±sγ=kπ=k(α+β+γ)r\alpha \pm s\gamma = k\pi = k(\alpha + \beta + \gamma) for some kk, so the triangle is quirky. \square

If r=0r = 0, then by rational root theorem on Ps(X)±2P_s(X) \pm 2 it follows n4n1\frac{n-4}{n-1} must be an integer which occurs only when n=4n = 4 (recall n3n \ge 3). Similarly we may discard the case s=0s = 0.

Thus in what follows assume n4n \ne 4 and r,s>0r, s > 0. Then, from the fact that PrP_r and PsP_s are nonconstant monic polynomials, we find

Corollary
If n4n \ne 4 works, then when n+4n+1\frac{n+4}{n+1} and n4n1\frac{n-4}{n-1} are written as fractions in lowest terms, the denominators have the same set of prime factors.

But gcd(n+1,n1)\gcd(n+1, n-1) divides 2, and gcd(n+4,n+1)\gcd(n+4, n+1), gcd(n4,n1)\gcd(n-4, n-1) divide 3. So we only have three possibilities:

* n+1=2un + 1 = 2^u and n1=2vn - 1 = 2^v for some u,v0u, v \ge 0. This is only possible if n=3n = 3. Here 2cosα=742 \cos \alpha = \frac{7}{4} and 2cosγ=122 \cos \gamma = -\frac{1}{2}, and indeed P2(1/2)=7/4P_2(-1/2) = -7/4.

* n+1=32un + 1 = 3 \cdot 2^u and n1=2vn - 1 = 2^v for some u,v0u, v \ge 0, which implies n=5n = 5. Here 2cosα=322 \cos \alpha = \frac{3}{2} and 2cosγ=142 \cos \gamma = \frac{1}{4}, and indeed P2(3/2)=1/4P_2(3/2) = 1/4.

* n+1=2un + 1 = 2^u and n1=32vn - 1 = 3 \cdot 2^v for some u,v0u, v \ge 0, which implies n=7n = 7. Here 2cosα=1182 \cos \alpha = \frac{11}{8} and 2cosγ=122 \cos \gamma = \frac{1}{2}, and indeed P3(1/2)=11/8P_3(1/2) = -11/8.

Finally, n=4n = 4 works because the triangle is right, completing the solution.

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