Squares, square, everywhere!

Algebra Level 3

x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = 2 x y z \large x^2 + y^2 + z^2 = 2xyz

Integers x , y x,y and z z satisfy the equation above. Find the product x y z xyz .


The answer is 0.

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2 solutions

Manuel Kahayon
Jun 10, 2016

We take ( m o d 4 ) \pmod{4} of both sides of equation. Since any perfect square can only be equal to 1 , 0 ( m o d 4 ) 1,0 \pmod {4} , then we cannot say that x , y , z x,y,z are odd, since we get that 3 = ± 2 3=\pm 2 when taken into account ( m o d 4 ) \pmod 4 , which is absurd.

WLOG, suppose only 1 x x is even . Then we get that x 2 + y 2 + z 2 y 2 + z 2 ( m o d 4 ) x^2+y^2+z^2 \equiv y^2+z^2 \pmod 4 , but since 2 x y z 0 ( m o d 4 ) 2xyz \equiv 0 \pmod 4 , then this implies that the RHS must also be 0 ( m o d 4 ) 0 \pmod 4 , but the only way to achieve this is when y , z y, z are even.

This implies that x = 2 x 1 , y = 2 y 1 , z = 2 z 1 x=2x_1, y=2y_1, z=2z_1 for some integers x 1 , y 1 , z 1 x_1, y_1, z_1 . We substitute this into the original equation to get a new equation 4 x 1 2 + 4 y 1 2 + 4 z 1 2 = 16 x 1 y 1 z 1 4x_1^2+4y_1^2+4z_1^2 = 16x_1y_1z_1 , which simplifies to x 1 2 + y 1 2 + z 1 2 = 4 x 1 y 1 z 1 x_1^2+y_1^2+z_1^2 = 4x_1y_1z_1 Repeating the same logic as above, we get that x 1 , y 1 , z 1 x_1, y_1, z_1 must also be even, i.e. x 1 = 2 x 2 , y 1 = 2 y 2 , z 1 = 2 z 2 x_1=2x_2, y_1=2y_2, z_1=2z_2 , and we can repeat this process ad infinitum. This implies that x 2 n \frac{x}{2^n} must be an integer for all positive integral values of n n , and the only integer which satisfies this is x = 0 x=0 . So, if x = 0 x=0 , then x y z = 0 xyz = \boxed{0} , which is our final answer.

Finn C
Jun 8, 2016

If you didn't get it, the answer explains itself.

How so? Why must the answer be 0 only?

Pi Han Goh - 5 years ago

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do you have any answers that isn't zero, and are real numbers?

Finn C - 5 years ago

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Try x = y = z = 3 2 x=y=z=\frac{3}{2} .

Grant Bulaong - 5 years ago

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@Grant Bulaong I have fixed it

Finn C - 5 years ago

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