For any real number , define How many triples satisfy the following system of equations
Solution
Since can take one of 3 values, can be one of 3 values: 4037,2018, or -1. The same is true of and . However, this shows that cannot be 0, so can only be 4037 or -1. The same is true of and . Now note that, if any two of are -1, then the third one must be 4037. Furthermore, if any one of is 4037, then the other two must be -1. Thus, the only possibility is to have exactly two of be -1 and the third one be 4037. This means that the only remaining triples are and its permutations. These all work, so there are exactly 3 ordered triples.
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