a 2 + b 2 = 1 0 a + b
Given that a and b are single-digit integers, is there any two-digit integer a b satisfies the equation above?
This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try
refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and,
finally, (c)
loading the
non-javascript version of this page
. We're sorry about the hassle.
@Alex Burgess nice, you have a simple solution
From a 2 + b 2 = 1 0 a + b , we get a 2 − 1 0 a + ( b 2 − b ) = 0 . Solving the quadratic for a , we have a = 5 ± 2 5 − b ( b − 1 ) . For a to be a positive integer, 2 5 − b ( b − 1 ) must be positive and a perfect square. For 2 5 − b ( b − 1 ) ≥ 0 , b < 6 or b = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 . Of all the six possible values of b , only when b = 1 is 2 5 − b ( b − 1 ) = 2 5 a perfect square. Then a = 5 ± 5 = 0 or 1 0 . Both are unacceptable values for a . Therefore there is no two-digit integer a b which satisfies the equation.
@Chew-Seong Cheong it's correct.
If we start with a 2 + b 2 = 1 0 a + b , then we obtain the quadratic equation:
a 2 − 1 0 a + ( b 2 − b ) = 0 ⇒ a = 2 1 0 ± 1 0 0 − 4 ( 1 ) ( b 2 − b ) = 2 1 0 ± − 4 b 2 + 4 b + 1 0 0 (i)
We require the discriminant in (i) to be non-negative AND for b ∈ Z 0 + , which gives us:
− 4 b 2 + 4 b + 1 0 0 ≥ 0 ⇒ b = − 8 − 4 ± 1 6 − 4 ( − 4 ) ( 1 0 0 ) = 2 1 ± 1 0 1 ⇒ 0 ≤ b ≤ 5 ;
or b = [ 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ] . Substituting each of these values back into (i) gives the ordered pairs:
( a , b ) = ( 0 , 0 ) ; ( 1 0 , 0 ) ; ( 0 , 1 ) ; ( 1 0 , 1 ) ; ( 5 + 2 3 , 2 ) ; ( 5 − 2 3 , 2 ) ; ( 5 + 1 9 , 3 ) ; ( 5 − 1 9 , 3 ) ; ( 5 + 1 3 , 4 ) ; ( 5 − 1 3 , 4 ) ; ( 5 + 5 , 5 ) ; ( 5 − 5 , 5 ) .
There are NO positive integral values for a to take on under these conditions, which means there is no two-digit number a b that satisfies the original Diophantine equation above.
Correct answer
After some manipulation, the equation becomes ( 2 a − 1 0 ) 2 + ( 2 b − 1 ) 2 = 1 0 1 . The only way to write 1 0 1 as a sum of squares, up to sign and rearrangement, is 1 0 2 + 1 2 . (This is easy to check by inspection, or using the fact that 1 0 1 is prime and knowing some number theory.)
Since 2 a − 1 0 is even, it must be ± 1 0 , which gives a = 0 , 1 0 . Neither of these can be the first digit of a two-digit number. So the answer is No.
(The complete set of solutions ( a , b ) to the given equation is { ( 0 , 0 ) , ( 0 , 1 ) , ( 1 0 , 0 ) , ( 1 0 , 1 ) } . )
Problem Loading...
Note Loading...
Set Loading...
Rearranging we get: a ( 1 0 − a ) = b ( b − 1 ) .
RHS is even, hence a must be even.
Due to the symmetry of the LHS, it can only equal 2 values: 2 ∗ 8 = 1 6 and 4 ∗ 6 = 2 4 , neither of which can be written in the form b ( b − 1 ) .