2021 AIME I Problem 5

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 5 of the 2021 AIME I, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2021 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:arithmetic sequenceDiophantine Equationdivisibility

Difficulty rating: 2390

5.

Call a three-term strictly increasing arithmetic sequence of integers special if the sum of the squares of the three terms equals the product of the middle term and the square of the common difference. Find the sum of the third terms of all special sequences.

Solution:

Write the terms as ad,a - d, a,a, a+da + d with integer d1.d \ge 1. The condition is (ad)2+a2+(a+d)2=ad23a2+2d2=ad2,(a-d)^2 + a^2 + (a+d)^2 = ad^2 \quad\Longleftrightarrow\quad 3a^2 + 2d^2 = ad^2, so d2(a2)=3a2d^2(a - 2) = 3a^2 and d2=3a2a2.d^2 = \frac{3a^2}{a - 2}. For d2d^2 to be positive we need a>2a \gt 2 (if a=0a = 0 then d=0,d = 0, not strictly increasing, and 0<a<20 \lt a \lt 2 or a<0a \lt 0 makes the right side negative or non-integral in the checkable cases).

Substituting t=a21t = a - 2 \ge 1 gives d2=3(t+2)2t=3t+12+12t,d^2 = \frac{3(t+2)^2}{t} = 3t + 12 + \frac{12}{t}, so t12.t \mid 12. Testing t=1,2,3,4,6,12t = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12 gives d2=27,24,25,27,32,49:d^2 = 27, 24, 25, 27, 32, 49: only t=3t = 3 and t=12t = 12 yield perfect squares.

These give (a,d)=(5,5)(a, d) = (5, 5) with sequence 0,5,10,0, 5, 10, and (a,d)=(14,7)(a, d) = (14, 7) with sequence 7,14,21.7, 14, 21. The sum of the third terms is 10+21=31.10 + 21 = 31.

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