Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 4.5 AIME Prove it United States

Problem:
Let a,b,c,na, b, c, n be positive real numbers such that a+ba=3\frac{a+b}{a}=3, b+cb=4\frac{b+c}{b}=4, and c+ac=n\frac{c+a}{c}=n. Find nn.

Solution

Solution:
Answer: 76\frac{7}{6}
We have
1=bacbac=(31)(41)(n1). 1=\frac{b}{a} \cdot \frac{c}{b} \cdot \frac{a}{c}=(3-1)(4-1)(n-1) .
Solving for nn yields n=76n=\frac{7}{6}.

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