Solve the system $$\begin{cases} x+y+z=1\\ x^5+y^5+z^5=1\end{cases}$$in real numbers.
Problem
Source: Polish MO Finals 2015
Tags: contests, system of equations
rchokler
28.07.2016 02:22
Putting $z=1-x-y$ into the second equation gives $x^5+y^5+(1-x-y)^5-1=0$ which factors:
$-5(x-1)(y-1)(x+y)(1-x+x^2-y+xy+y^2)=0$
It is easy to solve this equation to get:
$x=1$ or $y=1$ or $y=-x$ or $y=\frac{1-x\pm\sqrt{-3+2x-3x^2}}{2}$
The solution with the square-root can be discarded since $-3+2x-3x^2<0$ for all $x\in\mathbb{R}$.
By symmetry, we could have eliminated $x$ or $y$ instead.
So the full solution set for $(x,y,z)$ is:
$(1,t,-t)$, $(-t,1,t)$, $(t,-t,1)$ where $t\in\mathbb{R}$.
godfjock
28.07.2016 02:49
Elementary symmetric polynomials maybe?
Vexation
12.08.2016 07:00
godfjock wrote: Elementary symmetric polynomials maybe? Yes, it works. $xy+yz+zw=u, xyz=v$. By Newton's identity, $\sum x^5 = 1+5(u-v)(u-1)$. $u=1$ or $u=v$. $u=1$, then $x,y,z$ are roots of $t^3 - t^2 +t - u =0$, which never has three real roots. $u=v$, then $xyz - \sum xy + \sum x - 1 = 0$. One of $x,y,z$ is $1$ and the others have different signs.