2005

2005

Posers and Puzzles

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p

Non-Sub Recs: 0

Joined
08 Apr 05
Moves
455
04 May 05

Find all pairs of positive integers x and y that safisfy the equation:

1/x - 1/y = 1/2005

P
Bananarama

False berry

Joined
14 Feb 04
Moves
28719
04 May 05

OK, here's what I got:

x = 1600; y = 8020
x = 1980; y = 158796
x = 2000; y = 802000

x = 2004; y = 0 is another pair, but 0 is not a positive integer.

Sadly, I solved this by trial and error. :'( If anyone knows how to do this analytically, I'd love to find out how.

Now With Added BA

Loughborough

Joined
04 Jul 02
Moves
3790
04 May 05

Originally posted by PBE6
OK, here's what I got:

x = 1600; y = 8020
x = 1980; y = 158796
x = 2000; y = 802000

x = 2004; y = 0 is another pair, but 0 is not a positive integer.

Sadly, I solved this by trial and error. :'( If anyone knows how to do this analytically, I'd love to find out how.
Anayltically? I don't think there's a magic method of doing this, but it's easy to show rigorously that you've found all the solutions: all you need to do is remark that for all solutions in positive integers,
1/x < 1/2005, so x < 2005,
and find y for each x in turn, confirming that the solutions you listed below are the only ones in positive integers.

1/2004 -1/0 is -infinity though, so that's not a solution at all.

P
Bananarama

False berry

Joined
14 Feb 04
Moves
28719
04 May 05

Originally posted by Acolyte
Anayltically? I don't think there's a magic method of doing this, but it's easy to show rigorously that you've found all the solutions: all you need to do is remark that for all solutions in positive integers,
1/x < 1/2005, so x < 2005,
and find y for each x in turn, confirming that the solutions you listed below are the only ones in positive integers.

1/2004 -1/0 is -infinity though, so that's not a solution at all.
Oops, my mistake (with the 0).

d

Joined
04 Aug 01
Moves
2408
04 May 05
2 edits

Originally posted by PBE6
OK, here's what I got:

x = 1600; y = 8020
x = 1980; y = 158796
x = 2000; y = 802000

x = 2004; y = 0 is another pair, but 0 is not a positive integer.

Sadly, I solved this by trial and error. :'( If anyone knows how to do this analytically, I'd love to find out how.
I think your 1600 should be 1604.

x must be < 2005; so we need to find those values of x such that y = 2005x/(2005 - x) is also an integer.

Here's what I get for (x,y), and I think this is all such pairs:

(1604, 8020)
(1980, 158796)
(2000, 802000)
(2004, 4018020)

EDIT: I don't see any magical analytical solution either, although the problem can be whittled down quite a bit.

P
Bananarama

False berry

Joined
14 Feb 04
Moves
28719
04 May 05

Originally posted by davegage
I think your 1600 should be 1604.

x must be < 2005; so we need to find those values of x such that y = 2005x/(2005 - x) is also an integer.

Here's what I get for (x,y), and I think this is all such pairs:

(1604, 8020)
(1980, 158796)
(2000, 802000)
(2004, 4018020)

EDIT: I don't see any magical analytical solution either, although the problem can be whittled down quite a bit.
Oops again. I think my blood sugar is low. I need a cookie.

Acolyte, bring me your head again.

p

Non-Sub Recs: 0

Joined
08 Apr 05
Moves
455
04 May 05

Originally posted by PBE6
Oops again. I think my blood sugar is low. I need a cookie.

Acolyte, bring me your head again.
Let a,b be relatively prime integers , and x=ka and y=kb, b>a

then k=c(b-a) where abc=2005 will give all the solutions:

x=(b-a)ca, y=(b-a)cb.

When c=1 there are two sets of factors to use for ab;
when c=5 or 401 there is just one set of factors for ab.
c cannot be 2005 as x=y not possible.

There are just these four since the only factors of 2005
are 1, 5, 401, and 2005.

[ 2004(1) , 2004(2005) ] , [ 396(5) , 396(401) ]

[400(5)(1) , 400(5)(401) ] , [ 4(401)(1) , 4(401)(5) ]