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2000 AIME I Problems/Problem 6

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Problem

For how many ordered pairs of integers is it true that and that the arithmetic mean of and is exactly more than the geometric mean of and ?

Solution

\begin{eqnarray*}\frac{x+y}{2} &=& \sqrt{xy} + 2\\x+y-4 &=& 2\sqrt{xy}\\y - 2\sqrt{xy} + x &=& 4\\\sqrt{y} - \sqrt{x} &=& \pm 2\end{eqnarray*}

For simplicity, we can count how many valid pairs of that satisfy our equation.

The maximum that can be is because must be an integer (this is because , an integer). Then , and we continue this downward until , in which case . The number of pairs of , and so is then .

See also

2000 AIME I (ProblemsResources)
Preceded by
Problem 5
Followed by
Problem 7
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Looking for a challenging geometry text? Preparing for MATHCOUNTS or the AMC exams? Check out Art of Problem Solving's Introduction to Geometry by Richard Rusczyk.
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