A triangle with integer side lengths has a perimeter 2018. How many possible triangles are there?
Clarification: The area of the triangles must be a positive value.
Bonus: In these triangles,how many has an integer area?
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∣ ∣ { ( a , b , c ) ∈ N 3 : a ≤ b ≤ c and there is a triangle with side lengths a , b , c and perimeter 2 0 1 8 } ∣ ∣ = ∣ ∣ { ( a , b , c ) ∈ N 3 : a ≤ b ≤ c < a + b and a + b + c = 2 0 1 8 } ∣ ∣ = ∣ ∣ ∣ ∣ { ( a , b , c ) ∈ N 3 : 2 0 1 8 − b − c ≤ b ≤ c < 2 a + b + c and a + b + c = 2 0 1 8 } ∣ ∣ ∣ ∣ = ∣ ∣ ∣ { ( b , c ) ∈ N 2 : 1 0 0 9 − 2 c ≤ b ≤ c < 1 0 0 9 } ∣ ∣ ∣ = ∣ ∣ ∣ { ( b , c ) ∈ N 2 : 1 0 0 9 − ⌊ 2 c ⌋ ≤ b ≤ c and 6 7 3 ≤ c ≤ 1 0 0 8 } ∣ ∣ ∣ = c = 6 7 3 ∑ 1 0 0 8 ∣ ∣ ∣ { b ∈ N : 1 0 0 9 − ⌊ 2 c ⌋ ≤ b ≤ c } ∣ ∣ ∣ = c = 6 7 3 ∑ 1 0 0 8 c − ( 1 0 0 9 − ⌊ 2 c ⌋ ) + 1 = c = 6 7 3 ∑ 1 0 0 8 2 3 c + 4 1 ( ( − 1 ) c − 1 ) − 1 0 0 8 = c = 6 7 3 ∑ 1 0 0 8 4 6 c − 4 0 3 3 + c = 6 7 3 ∑ 1 0 0 8 4 1 ( − 1 ) c = 2 1 ( 4 6 ( 6 7 3 ) − 4 0 3 3 + 4 6 ( 1 0 0 8 ) − 4 0 3 3 ) ( 1 0 0 8 − 6 7 3 + 1 ) + 0 = 8 4 8 4 0
For the bonus question: Let p be a prime number and consider the triangle with integral sidelengths a , b , c and perimeter 2 p . Then by Heron's formula, the area A of this triangle satisfies A 2 = p ( p − a ) ( p − b ) ( p − c ) . Suppose that A is an integer. Then since p divides A 2 and p is a prime, it follows that p 2 divides A 2 and therefore p divides A 2 / p = ( p − a ) ( p − b ) ( p − c ) As once again p is a prime, p must divide at least one of p − a , p − b , p − c . However, since all of these are positive integers less than p , none of them is divisible by p . This is a contradiction, so it follows that A cannot be an integer.
We have proven: If a triangle has integral sidelengths and prime semiperimeter, then its area is not an integer.
In our case, the semiperimeter is 1 0 0 9 , a prime number, so there are zero such triangles with integral area.