[et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="3.22.4"][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.25"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="3.25" custom_padding="|||" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="Raleway|300|||||||" text_text_color="#ffffff" header_font="Raleway|300|||||||" header_text_color="#e2e2e2" background_color="#0c71c3" custom_padding="20px|20px|20px|20px" border_radii="on|5px|5px|5px|5px" box_shadow_style="preset3"]

Understand the problem

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.0" text_font="Raleway||||||||" background_color="#f4f4f4" custom_margin="10px||10px" custom_padding="10px|20px|10px|20px" hover_enabled="0" box_shadow_style="preset2"]

Suppose that real numbers $x,y$ and $z$ satisfy the following equations: $\begin{align*} x+\frac{y}{z} &=2,\\ y+\frac{z}{x} &=2,\\ z+\frac{x}{y} &=2. \end{align*}$

Show that $s=x+y+z$ must be equal to $3$ or $7$ .Note: It is not required to show the existence of such numbers $x,y,z$ .

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.25"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="3.25" custom_padding="|||" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_accordion open_toggle_text_color="#0c71c3" _builder_version="3.22.4" toggle_font="||||||||" body_font="Raleway||||||||" text_orientation="center" custom_margin="10px||10px" hover_enabled="0"][et_pb_accordion_item title="Source of the problem" open="on" _builder_version="4.0" hover_enabled="0"]

Germany MO 2019, Problem 6 [/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title="Topic" _builder_version="4.0" hover_enabled="0" open="off"]Algebra, Simultaneous Equations [/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title="Difficulty Level" _builder_version="4.0" hover_enabled="0" open="off"]6/10 [/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title="Suggested Book" _builder_version="4.0" hover_enabled="0" open="off"]Challenges and Thrills of Pre College Mathematics [/et_pb_accordion_item][/et_pb_accordion][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="Raleway|300|||||||" text_text_color="#ffffff" header_font="Raleway|300|||||||" header_text_color="#e2e2e2" background_color="#0c71c3" custom_margin="48px||48px" custom_padding="20px|20px|20px|20px" border_radii="on|5px|5px|5px|5px" box_shadow_style="preset3"]

Start with hints

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_tabs active_tab_background_color="#0c71c3" inactive_tab_background_color="#000000" _builder_version="3.22.4" tab_text_color="#ffffff" tab_font="||||||||" background_color="#ffffff" hover_enabled="0"][et_pb_tab title="Hint 0" _builder_version="3.22.4"]Do you really need a hint? Try it first!

[/et_pb_tab][et_pb_tab title="Hint 1" _builder_version="4.0" hover_enabled="0"]Observe that x = y = z = 1 gives a valid solution of the set of equations. In this case s = x+y+z = 3.Now, observe one thing that this set of equations is symmetric in (x,y,z).Observe that we are required to comment on (x+y+z). Rewriting the equations as: $xz+y = 2z, \qquad (1)$

$xy + z = 2x, \qquad (2)$

$yz + x = 2y \qquad (3)$

and then summing gives us that $x+y+z = xy + yz + zx = s.$

Our aim will be to reduce all the equations into a single variable. ( maybe a polynomial ).Let's consider the case, where all of x,y,z is not 1. [/et_pb_tab][et_pb_tab title="Hint 2" _builder_version="4.0" hover_enabled="0"]From now on we consider $x,y,z \neq 1$ . This also gives $x \neq y \neq z \neq x$ Solving the first expression $x=\frac{2z-y}{z}$

then plugging this into the second two gives:
$y+\frac{z^2}{2z-y}=2 \Rightarrow (2z-y)y+z^2=2(2z-y)$

$z+\frac{2z-y}{yz}=2 \Rightarrow yz^2+2z-y=2yz \Rightarrow y=-\frac{2z}{z^2-2z-1}$

as z is not equal to 1.Plugging the latter into the former and simplifying gives:
$\frac{z^2 (z^4-8z^3+14z^2-7)}{(z^2-2z-1)^2}=0 \Rightarrow z^4-8z^3+14z^2-7=0$

[/et_pb_tab][et_pb_tab title="Hint 3" _builder_version="4.0" hover_enabled="0"]Plugging the latter into the former and simplifying gives:
$\frac{z^2 (z^4-8z^3+14z^2-7)}{(z^2-2z-1)^2}=0 \Rightarrow z^4-8z^3+14z^2-7=0$

Now, observe that we already know z = 1 is a solution. This gives rise to $0=z^4-8z^3+14z^2-7=(z-1)(z^3-7z^2+7z+7) \Rightarrow z^3-7z^2+7z+7=0$

[/et_pb_tab][et_pb_tab title="Hint 4" _builder_version="4.0" hover_enabled="0"]Observe that the polynomial we have got in terms of z is also satisfied by x,y,z as the equations are symmetric in x,y,z.Hence we can claim that $ t^3 - 7t^2 + 7t + 7 = 0 $ has three solutions x,y,z. Hence, $ t^3 - 7t^2 + 7t + 7 = (t-x)(t-y)(t-z)$.Therefore, by Vieta's formula, x+y+z = 7.QED. [/et_pb_tab][/et_pb_tabs][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="Raleway|300|||||||" text_text_color="#ffffff" header_font="Raleway|300|||||||" header_text_color="#e2e2e2" background_color="#0c71c3" custom_margin="48px||48px" custom_padding="20px|20px|20px|20px" border_radii="on|5px|5px|5px|5px" box_shadow_style="preset3"]

Watch video

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version="3.26.4"]

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="Raleway|300|||||||" text_text_color="#ffffff" header_font="Raleway|300|||||||" header_text_color="#e2e2e2" background_color="#0c71c3" min_height="12px" custom_margin="50px||50px" custom_padding="20px|20px|20px|20px" border_radii="on|5px|5px|5px|5px" box_shadow_style="preset3"]

Connected Program at Cheenta

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb title="Math Olympiad Program" url="https://cheenta.com/matholympiad/" url_new_window="on" image="https://cheenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/matholympiad.png" _builder_version="3.23.3" header_font="||||||||" header_text_color="#e02b20" header_font_size="48px" link_option_url="https://cheenta.com/matholympiad/" link_option_url_new_window="on"]

Math Olympiad is the greatest and most challenging academic contest for school students. Brilliant school students from over 100 countries participate in it every year.Cheenta works with small groups of gifted students through an intense training program. It is a deeply personalized journey toward intellectual prowess and technical sophistication.[/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_button button_url="https://cheenta.com/matholympiad/" url_new_window="on" button_text="Learn More" button_alignment="center" _builder_version="3.23.3" custom_button="on" button_bg_color="#0c71c3" button_border_color="#0c71c3" button_border_radius="0px" button_font="Raleway||||||||" button_icon="%%3%%" background_layout="dark" button_text_shadow_style="preset1" box_shadow_style="preset1" box_shadow_color="#0c71c3"][/et_pb_button][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="Raleway|300|||||||" text_text_color="#ffffff" header_font="Raleway|300|||||||" header_text_color="#e2e2e2" background_color="#0c71c3" custom_margin="50px||50px" custom_padding="20px|20px|20px|20px" border_radii="on|5px|5px|5px|5px" box_shadow_style="preset3"]

Algebra, Germany MO 2019, Problem 6

Understand the problem

Start with hints

Watch video

Connected Program at Cheenta

Similar Problems

Leave a Reply Cancel reply