2018 AIME I Problem 1

Attempt Problem 1 of the 2018 AIME I below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2018 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

1.

Let SS be the number of ordered pairs of integers (a,b),(a, b), with 1a1001 \le a \le 100 and b0,b \ge 0, such that the polynomial x2+ax+bx^2 + ax + b can be factored into the product of two (not necessarily distinct) linear factors with integer coefficients. Find the remainder when SS is divided by 1000.1000.

Answer: 600
Concepts:quadraticperfect squareparity
Difficulty rating: 2260
Solution:

The polynomial factors into integer linear factors exactly when its roots are integers, that is, when the discriminant a24ba^2 - 4b equals c2c^2 for some integer c0.c \ge 0. Given a,a, such a b0b \ge 0 exists exactly when 4b=a2c2=(ac)(a+c)4b = a^2 - c^2 = (a-c)(a+c) for some cc with 0ca0 \le c \le a and ca(mod2),c \equiv a \pmod 2, and distinct such cc give distinct values b=a2c24.b = \frac{a^2 - c^2}{4}.

For odd aa the valid cc are 1,3,,a,1, 3, \ldots, a, which is a+12\frac{a+1}{2} choices; for even aa they are 0,2,,a,0, 2, \ldots, a, which is a2+1\frac{a}{2} + 1 choices.

Summing over a=1,,100:a = 1, \ldots, 100: the odd aa contribute 1+2++50=1275,1 + 2 + \cdots + 50 = 1275, and the even aa contribute 2+3++51=1325.2 + 3 + \cdots + 51 = 1325. Thus S=2600,S = 2600, and the remainder is 600.600.

Full Exam

Problem 1 in Other Years