Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Help with Maths Question?
if sqrt(x+y) +2x-1=y find x and y if x and y are both rational numbers. I know there is a trick to this but I just can't find it. (I think it has to do with forming other equations)
1 Answer
- DukeLv 78 years agoFavorite Answer
Since the 2nd degree curve with equation
x + y = (y - 2x + 1)²
is a rational curve, all its rational points can be found by Euler's tangent-secant method (follow the link below for details) if we know a single rational point. Here such point is found easily:
(x₀, y₀) = (1, 3) and the parametric equations of a line through (1, 3) are
x = x₀ + t, y = y₀ + kt, where t - rational parameter.
This line intersects our curve in a rational point (of course we should take care also about x + y ≥ 0 because of the square root):
(1 + t) + (3 + kt) = (3 + kt - 2 - 2t + 1)²
(1 + k)t = (k - 2)² t² + 4(k - 2)t, now if t ≠ 0 we get 9 - 3k = (k - 2)² t, hence
(***) t = (9 - 3k)/(k - 2)², x = (k ² - 7k + 13)/(k - 2)², y = (12 - 3k)/(k - 2)²
The condition y - 2x + 1 ≥ 0 leads to the quadratic inequality
k² - 7k + 10 ≤ 0 or (k - 2)(k - 5) ≤ 0,
finally all rational solutions of your equation are given by expressions (***) where k is a rational parameter, 2 < k ≤ 5.
Examples: k = 3, t = 0, x = 1, y = 3;
k = 2.5, t = 6, x = 7, y = 18;
k = 4, t = -3/4, x = 1/4, y = 0;
k = 5, t = -2/3, x = 1/3, y = -1/3, etc.