Square roots

1 x + 1 y = 1 20 \large \frac{1}{\sqrt{x}}+\frac{1}{\sqrt{y}}=\frac{1}{\sqrt{20}}

Find the number of ordered pairs of positive integers ( x , y ) (x,y) satisfying the above equation.


The answer is 3.

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1 solution

20 = 2 5 1 2 5 = 1 x + 1 y = 1 a 5 + 1 b 5 \sqrt{20} = 2\sqrt{5} \longrightarrow \frac{1}{2\sqrt{5}} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{x}} + \frac{1}{\sqrt{y}} = \frac{1}{a\sqrt{5}} + \frac{1}{b\sqrt{5}} . Then it's sufficient to find ordered pairs of positive integers ( a , b ) (a, b) such that 1 2 = 1 a + 1 b \frac{1}{2} = \frac{1}{a} + \frac{1}{b} and the only solutions are { ( a , b ) = ( 4 , 4 ) ( a , b ) = ( 3 , 6 ) ( a , b ) = ( 6 , 3 ) \begin{cases} (a,b) = (4,4) \\ (a,b) = (3,6) \\ (a,b) = (6,3) \end{cases} . Therefore, the only solutions are { ( x , y ) = ( 80 , 80 ) ( x , y ) = ( 45 , 180 ) ( x , y ) = ( 180 , 45 ) \begin{cases} (x,y) = (80,80) \\ (x,y) = (45,180) \\ (x,y) = (180,45) \end{cases} Important Note.- If 1 2 5 = 1 x + 1 y = 1 a c + 1 b d \frac{1}{2\sqrt{5}} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{x}} + \frac{1}{\sqrt{y}} = \frac{1}{a\sqrt{c}} + \frac{1}{b\sqrt{d}} where a , b a, b are positive integers numbers and c , d c,d are free-square positive integers numbers, then squaring this equation, we get 1 20 = 1 a 2 c + 2 a b c d + 1 b 2 d \frac{1}{20} = \frac{1}{a^2c} + \frac{2}{ab\sqrt{cd}} + \frac {1}{b^2d} and then LHS is a rational number and this implies that c = d c = d , because if c d c \neq d then RHS is an irrational number, and this is a contradiction... Therefore, c = d c = d and then c = d = 5 c = d = 5 due to Fundamental Arithmetic Theorem and squaring again...

@Guillermo Templado Nice explanation ;)

Rakshit Joshi - 4 years, 11 months ago

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