FAU/Stuyvesant Alumni Mathematics Competition

20062007
(1) There are two isosceles triangles. One has with top angle
, equal sides of length a, base b. The other has base
angle , equal sides of length b and base a. Assume
a
= b. Find the ratio ab and the size of the angle .
(2) Let N be the set of positive integers, and f : N N a
strictly increasing function satisfying f f (n) = 3n for
every n N.
(a) Find f (2007).
(b) Is there an integer n with f (n) = 2007?
(3) Let x and y be integers such that x2 + x = 2y 2 + y. Prove
that x y, x + y + 1 and 2x + 2y + 1 are all squares of
integers.
(4) Find the smallest positive integer value of n for which
2n683
is not a reduced fraction. (A reduced fraction is
3n+641
one whose numerator and denominator do not have common divisors).
(5) Solve the simultaneous equations xy = z + t, zt = x + y
in positive integers.
(6) Let M be the midpoint of the hypotenuse AB of a right
triangle ABC. Prove that the line joining the incenters
of triangles ACM and BCM bisects the area of triangle
ABC.

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Solution

Problem 1.
There are two isosceles triangles. One has with top angle ,
equal sides of length a, base b. The other has base angle ,
equal sides of length b and base a. Assume a
= b. Find the
ratio ab and the size of the angle .
Solution. Form a quadrilateral ABCD with isosceles triangles
ABC and DAC satisfying the given condition. The quadrilateral is an isosceles trapezoid since AB//CD and AD = BC.
Therefore, it is cyclic.
(1) 12 (180 ) = 2 = 36.
(2) By Ptolemys theorem,
AC BD = AB CD + AD BC,

1+ 5
2
2 a
a = ab + b , b = 2 .

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Solution

Problem 2.
Let N be the set of positive integers, and f : N N a strictly
increasing function satisfying f f (n) = 3n for every n N.
(a) Find f (2007).
(b) Is there an integer n with f (n) = 2007?
Solution. Write positive integers in base 3. Note that the leftmost digit is either 1 or 2. The base 3 expansion of f (n) is
obtained from that of n by switching the leftmost digit between
1 and 2, and appending an extra 0 as the rightmost digit when
the leftmost digit of n is 2. Thus, f (110123) = 210123 and
f (210123) = 1101203.
(a) f (2007) = f (22021003) = 120210003 = 3834.
(b) f (1278) = f (12021003) = 22021003 = 2007.

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Solution

Problem 3.
Let x and y be integers such that x2 + x = 2y 2 + y. Prove that
x y, x + y + 1 and 2x + 2y + 1 are all squares of integers.
Solution. From x2 + x = 2y 2 + y, we easily deduce
y 2 =(x y)(x + y + 1),

(1)

x2 =(x y)(2x + 2y + 1).

(2)

We claim that x y and x + y + 1 are relatively prime. If not,

they contains a common prime divisor p. From (1), p|y. Since
p|x y, we must have p|x, and p|x + y. Finally, p|((x + y +
1) (x + y)) = 1, a contradiction. From (1), each of x y and
x + y + 1 is a square. From (2), 2x + 2y + 1 is also a square.

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Solution

Problem 4.
Find the smallest positive integer value of n for which 2n683
3n+641
is not a reduced fraction. (A reduced fraction is one whose
numerator and denominator do not have common divisors).
Solution. Let d > 1 be a common divisor of 2n 683 and
3n + 641. Then d|(2(3n + 641) 3(2n 683)) = 3331, which
is a prime number. Therefore, d = 3331. If the given fraction is
not reduced, then 2n 683 = 3331k for some integer k. With
k = 1, we have 2n = 3331 + 683 = 4014, n = 2007. With
3331
1
this, 2n683
3n+641 = 6662 = 2 is not reduced. The smallest value of n
for which the fraction is not reduced is n = 2007.

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Solution

Problem 5.
Solve the simultaneous equations xy = z + t, zt = x + y in
positive integers.
2

t +x
t+x
Solution. (1) y = tx1
, z = tx1
.
(2) If tx 1 = 1, then t = 1, x = 2, y = 3, z = 5. This is the
only solution with t = 1.
(3) Assume 2 t x. Note
t2 + x
(t2 + x) (tx 1)
x+1
x+1
y=
= 1+
1+
1+
.
tx 1
tx 1
tx 1
2x 1
(3a) If x = 2, then t = x = y = z = 2.
(3b) If x 3, then y < 2. We must have y = 1. From (1),
2
+1
2
x = tt1
= t + 1 + t1
. This is an integer only if t = 2, x = 5,
and z = 3.
(5) Interchanging t and x, we obtain two more solutions from
(2) and (3b). The only solutions are

(t, x, y, z) = (1, 2, 3, 5), (2, 1, 5, 3), (2, 2, 2, 2), (2, 5, 1, 3), (5, 2, 3, 1).

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Solution

Problem 6.
Let M be the midpoint of the hypotenuse AB of a right triangle ABC. Prove that the line joining the incenters of triangles
ACM and BCM bisects the area of triangle ABC.
Solution. Let P , Q be the incenters of triangles ACM and
BCM, which touch the sides AC and BC respectively at Y
and Z. Let the line P Q intersect AC and BC at H and K
respectively.
C

H
P
Q
A

Since MA = MC, the points M, P , Y are collinear. Similarly, M, Q, Z are collinear. In fact Y and Z are the midpoints
of AC and BC respectively. The lines MY and MZ are perpendicular to AC and BC respectively. CY MZ is a rectangle,
and the right triangles P HY , P QM, and KQZ are similar.
Y
AY
= AM
= cos A. Similarly,
Since AP bisects angle A, PPM
QZ
QM = cos B. It follows that
P HY + KQZ
= cos2 A + cos2 B = 1.
P QM
It follows that
HCK =area CY P MZ + P HY + KQZ
=area CY P MZ + P QM
=area CY MZ
1
= ABC.
2