SpecialEquation AMC10/12 Intermediate
2020


Problem - 4738

There are integers $a$, $b$, and $c$, each greater than 1, such that\[\sqrt[a]{N \sqrt[b]{N \sqrt[c]{N}}} = \sqrt[36]{N^{25}}\]for all $N > 1$. What is $b$?


Answer     $3$

The given relation can be rewritten as $$N^{\frac{1}{a}+\frac{1}{ab}+{1}{abc}}=N^{\frac{25}{36}}\implies \frac{1}{a}+\frac{1}{ab}+\frac{1}{abc}=\frac{25}{36}\implies\frac{bc +c + 1}{abc}=\frac{25}{36}$$

Assuming $$abc=36\quad\text{and}\quad bc+c+1=25$$

Then we have $$bc+c=24\implies (b+1)c=24\implies \frac{abc}{(b+1)c}=\frac{36}{24}\Leftrightarrow \frac{ab}{b+1}=\frac{3}{2}$$

Also, by the assumption $abc=36$, we know $a$, $b$, $c$ are some combination of $2$ and $3$. There are a limit number of possibilities. Try them out will lead to the solution $(a, b, c) = (2, 3, 6)$.

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