Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 5.1 AIME, harder Find the answer

If the three points (1,a,b)(a,2,b)(a,b,3)\begin{aligned} & (1, a, b) \\ & (a, 2, b) \\ & (a, b, 3) \end{aligned} are collinear (in 3-space), what is the value of a+ba+b ?

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

Solution

The first two points are distinct (otherwise we would have a=1a=1 and a=2a=2 simultaneously), and they both lie on the plane z=bz=b, so the whole line is in this plane and b=3b=3. Reasoning similarly with the last two points gives a=1a=1, so a+b=4a+b=4.

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