AlgebraDifficulty 6.7National olympiadFind the answer
Find three consecutive odd numbers a,b,c such that a2+b2+c2 is a four digit number with four equal digits.
A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.
Solution
1. Let the three consecutive odd numbers be a,b,c. Since they are consecutive odd numbers, we can express them as: a=b−2,b=b,c=b+2 where b is an odd number.
2. We need to find a,b,c such that a2+b2+c2 is a four-digit number with all four digits being the same. Therefore, we need: a2+b2+c2=1111,2222,3333,4444,5555,6666,7777,8888, or 9999
3. Substitute a=b−2 and c=b+2 into the equation: a2+b2+c2=(b−2)2+b2+(b+2)2
4. Expand and simplify the expression: (b−2)2+b2+(b+2)2=b2−4b+4+b2+b2+4b+4=3b2+8
5. We need 3b2+8 to be one of the four-digit numbers with all four digits the same. Let's check each possibility: 3b2+8=1111⟹3b2=1103⟹b2=31103≈367.67(not an integer) 3b2+8=2222⟹3b2=2214⟹b2=32214=738(not a perfect square) 3b2+8=3333⟹3b2=3325⟹b2=33325≈1108.33(not an integer) 3b2+8=4444⟹3b2=4436⟹b2=34436≈1478.67(not an integer) 3b2+8=5555⟹3b2=5547⟹b2=35547=1849(perfect square) b=1849=43
6. Therefore, the three consecutive odd numbers are: a=b−2=43−2=41 b=43 c=b+2=43+2=45
7. Verify the solution: a2+b2+c2=412+432+452=1681+1849+2025=5555
Thus, the three consecutive odd numbers are 41,43,45.
The final answer is 41,43,45.
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