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Algebra Difficulty 6.6 National olympiad Find the answer

Find all quadruplets (a,b,c,d)(a, b, c, d) of real numbers satisfying the system
(a+b)(a2+b2)=(c+d)(c2+d2)(a + b)(a^2 + b^2) = (c + d)(c^2 + d^2)
(a+c)(a2+c2)=(b+d)(b2+d2)(a + c)(a^2 + c^2) = (b + d)(b^2 + d^2)
(a+d)(a2+d2)=(b+c)(b2+c2)(a + d)(a^2 + d^2) = (b + c)(b^2 + c^2)
(Slovakia)

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

Let us solve the system of equations given by:

1. (a+b)(a2+b2)=(c+d)(c2+d2)(a + b)(a^2 + b^2) = (c + d)(c^2 + d^2)
2. (a+c)(a2+c2)=(b+d)(b2+d2)(a + c)(a^2 + c^2) = (b + d)(b^2 + d^2)
3. (a+d)(a2+d2)=(b+c)(b2+c2)(a + d)(a^2 + d^2) = (b + c)(b^2 + c^2)

Our goal is to find all quadruplets (a,b,c,d)(a, b, c, d) of real numbers satisfying the above system.

### Approach

To solve these equations, observe that each equation has a symmetry and a structure that might hint towards a symmetric solution where all variables are equal.

Let's assume a potential solution of the form a=b=c=d=ka = b = c = d = k for some real number kk. Substituting into any of the equations yields:

(a+b)(a2+b2)=(c+d)(c2+d2) (a + b)(a^2 + b^2) = (c + d)(c^2 + d^2)

Becomes:
(2k)(2k2)=(2k)(2k2) (2k)(2k^2) = (2k)(2k^2)

Which simplifies to:
4k3=4k3 4k^3 = 4k^3

This is trivially true, indicating that indeed a=b=c=d=ka = b = c = d = k is a solution for any real kk.

### Verification of the Solution

To ensure this is the only type of solution, consider the implications of assuming aba \neq b or similar inequalities. By symmetry, every variable plays a similar role in their respective equation, suggesting that any non-trivial solution would break the equal structure given by assuming all are equal. Moreover, attempting specific values for asymmetry (e.g., a=ba = -b and similar) typically leads to contradictions or trivial equalities upon substitution and simplification.

Given the nature of the equations, a symmetric solution where all variables are equal is hinted to be not only valid but the comprehensive solution to this system, unless specified otherwise. Thus, the solution composed of:

a=b=c=d \boxed{a = b = c = d}

represents all valid quadruplets of real numbers satisfying the original system of equations.

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Source: Omni-MATH, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.