Positive solution | AIME I, 1990 | Question 4

Try this beautiful problem from the American Invitational Mathematics Examination I, AIME I, 1990 based on positive solution.

Positive solution - AIME I, 1990

Find the positive solution to

\(\frac{1}{x^{2}-10x-29}+\frac{1}{x^{2}-10x-45}-\frac{2}{x^{2}-10x-69}=0\)

Integers

Divisibility

Algebra

Answer: is 13.

AIME I, 1990, Question 4

Elementary Algebra by Hall and Knight

here we put \(x^{2}-10x-29=p\)

\(\frac{1}{p}+\frac{1}{p-16}-\frac{2}{p-40}=0\)

or, (p-16)(p-40)+p(p-40)-2p(p-16)=0

or, -64p+(40)(16)=0

or, p=10

or, 10=\(x^{2}-10x-29\)

or, (x-13)(x+3)=0

or, x=13 positive solution.