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Pairs by rearranging (Posted on 2023-07-22) Difficulty: 2 of 5
Find all pairs of real numbers (x,y) such that

(x-2)/y + 5/xy = (4-y)/x - |y-2x|/xy

No Solution Yet Submitted by Danish Ahmed Khan    
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Solution Solution | Comment 2 of 3 |
Lets split this into two halves, y-2x>=0 and y-2x<=0.

First half, when y-2x>=0, then makes the equation into: 
(x-2)/y + 5/xy = (4-y)/x - (y-2x)/xy
This can be simplified to an equation of a circle:
(x-2)^2 + (y-3/2)^2 = 5/4
But the line y-2x=0 is actually tangent to the circle at (1,2)
It happens that the circle lies on the side of the tangent with y-2x<=0.
Then the only point on the circle satisfying y-2x>=0 is the tangent point.

Second half, when y-2x<=0, is nearly identical:
This makes the equation into:
(x-2)/y + 5/xy = (4-y)/x + (y-2x)/xy
This can be simplified to an equation of a circle:
x^2 + (y-5/2)^2 = 5/4
But the line y-2x=0 is actually tangent to the circle at (1,2)
It happens that the circle lies on the side of the tangent with y-2x>=0.
Then the only point on the circle satisfying y-2x<=0 is the tangent point.

So the solution set to the original equation is the single point (1,2).

Addendem: What I find more interesting is to change the sign on preceding absolute value term.  Then the solution set is a union of a pair of tangent circles.

  Posted by Brian Smith on 2023-07-22 12:57:31
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