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Algebra Difficulty 7.4 National olympiad, round 2 Find the answer

Problem
Solve in integers the equation x2+xy+y2=(x+y3+1)3.x^2+xy+y^2 = \left(\frac{x+y}{3}+1\right)^3.
Solution
We first notice that both sides must be integers, so x+y3\frac{x+y}{3} must be an integer.
We can therefore perform the substitution x+y=3tx+y = 3t where tt is an integer.
Then:
(3t)2xy=(t+1)3(3t)^2 - xy = (t+1)^3
9t2+x(x3t)=t3+3t2+3t+19t^2 + x (x - 3t) = t^3 + 3t^2 + 3t + 1
4x212xt+9t2=4t315t2+12t+44x^2 - 12xt + 9t^2 = 4t^3 - 15t^2 + 12t + 4
(2x3t)2=(t2)2(4t+1)(2x - 3t)^2 = (t - 2)^2(4t + 1)
4t+14t+1 is therefore the square of an odd integer and can be replaced with (2n+1)2=4n2+4n+1(2n+1)^2 = 4n^2 + 4n +1
By substituting using t=n2+nt = n^2 + n we get:
(2x3n23n)2=[(n2+n2)(2n+1)]2(2x - 3n^2 - 3n)^2 = [(n^2 + n - 2)(2n+1)]^2
2x3n23n=±(2n3+3n23n2)2x - 3n^2 - 3n = \pm (2n^3 + 3n^2 -3n -2)
x=n3+3n21x = n^3 + 3n^2 - 1 or x=n3+3n+1x = -n^3 + 3n + 1
Using substitution we get the solutions: (n3+3n21,n3+3n+1)(n3+3n+1,n3+3n21)(n^3 + 3n^2 - 1, -n^3 + 3n + 1) \cup (-n^3 + 3n + 1, n^3 + 3n^2 - 1)

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

Let n=x+y3n = \frac{x+y}{3} .
Thus, x+y=3nx+y = 3n .
We have x2+xy+y2=(x+y3+1)3    (x+y)2xy=(x+y3+1)3x^2+xy+y^2 = \left(\frac{x+y}{3}+1\right)^3 \implies (x+y)^2 - xy = \left(\frac{x+y}{3}+1\right)^3 Substituting nn for x+y3\frac{x+y}{3} , we have 9n2x(3nx)=(n+1)39n^2 - x(3n-x) = (n+1)^3 Treating xx as a variable and nn as a constant, we have 9n23nx+x2=(n+1)3,9n^2 - 3nx + x^2 = (n+1)^3, which turns into x23nx+(9n2(n+1)3)=0,x^2 - 3nx + (9n^2 - (n+1)^3) = 0, a quadratic equation.
By the quadratic formula, x=12(3n±9n24(9n2(n+1)3))x = \frac{1}{2} \left(3n \pm \sqrt{9n^2 - 4(9n^2 - (n+1)^3)} \right) which simplifies to x=12(3n±4(n+1)327n2)x = \frac{1}{2} \left(3n \pm \sqrt{4(n+1)^3 - 27n^2} \right) Since we want xx and yy to be integers, we need 4(n+1)327n24(n+1)^3 - 27n^2 to be a perfect square.
We can factor the aforementioned equation to be (n2)2(4n+1)=k2(n-2)^2 (4n+1) = k^2 for an integer kk .
Since (n2)2(n-2)^2 is always a perfect square, for (n2)2(4n+1)(n-2)^2 (4n+1) to be a perfect square, 4n+14n + 1 has to be a perfect square as well.
Since 4n+14n + 1 is odd, the square root of the aforementioned equation must be odd as well.
Thus, we have 4n+1=a24n + 1 = a^2 for some odd aa .
Thus, n=a214,n = \frac{a^2 - 1}{4}, in which by difference of squares it is easy to see that all the possible values for nn are just n=p(p1)n = p(p-1) , where pp is a positive integer.
Thus, x+y=3n=3p(p1).x+y = 3n = 3p(p-1). Thus, the general form for x=12(3p(p1)±4(p(p1)+1)327(p(p1))2)x = \frac{1}{2} \left(3p(p-1) \pm \sqrt{4(p(p-1)+1)^3 - 27(p(p-1))^2} \right) for a positive integer pp .
(This is an integer since 4(p(p1)+1)327(p(p1))24(p(p-1)+1)^3 - 27(p(p-1))^2 is an even perfect square (since 4(p(p1)+1)4(p(p-1)+1) is always even, as well as 27(p(p1))227(p(p-1))^2 being always even) as established, and 3p(p1)3p(p-1) is always even as well. Thus, the whole numerator is even, which makes the quantity of that divided by 22 always an integer.)
Since y=3nxy = 3n - x , the general form for yy is just y=3p(p1)12(3p(p1)±4(p(p1)+1)327(p(p1))2)y = 3p(p-1) - \frac{1}{2} \left(3p(p-1) \pm \sqrt{4(p(p-1)+1)^3 - 27(p(p-1))^2} \right) (This is an integer since 4(p(p1)+1)327(p(p1))24(p(p-1)+1)^3 - 27(p(p-1))^2 is an even perfect square (since 4(p(p1)+1)4(p(p-1)+1) is always even, as well as 27(p(p1))227(p(p-1))^2 being always even) as established, and 3p(p1)3p(p-1) is always even as well. Thus, the whole numerator is even, which makes the quantity of that divided by 22 always an integer, which thus trivially makes 3p(p1)12(3p(p1)±4(p(p1)+1)327(p(p1))2)3p(p-1) - \frac{1}{2} \left(3p(p-1) \pm \sqrt{4(p(p-1)+1)^3 - 27(p(p-1))^2} \right) an integer.)
for a positive integer pp .
Thus, our general in integers (x,y)(x, y) is (12(3p(p1)±4(p(p1)+1)327(p(p1))2),3p(p1)12(3p(p1)±4(p(p1)+1)327(p(p1))2).(\frac{1}{2} \left(3p(p-1) \pm \sqrt{4(p(p-1)+1)^3 - 27(p(p-1))^2} \right), 3p(p-1) - \frac{1}{2} \left(3p(p-1) \pm \sqrt{4(p(p-1)+1)^3 - 27(p(p-1))^2} \right). \boxed{}
-fidgetboss_4000

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