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JEE Advanced 2017 Paper 1 · Mathematics · Permutations and Combinations · medium

Find the number of ordered pairs (m,n) of positive integers satisfying 1/m+1/n+1/mn=1/6.

Numerical answer

Find the number of ordered pairs (m,n)(m,n) of positive integers satisfying 1m+1n+1mn=16\dfrac1m+\dfrac1n+\dfrac1{mn}=\dfrac16.
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Answer: 8

Multiply by 6mn6mn: 6n+6m+6=mn6n+6m+6=mn, so mn−6m−6n=6mn-6m-6n=6. Adding 3636 to both sides gives (m−6)(n−6)=42(m-6)(n-6)=42. Since m,n≥1m,n\ge1, each of m−6, n−6m-6,\ n-6 is at least −5-5. If both factors were negative, each would lie in {−5,…,−1}\{-5,\dots,-1\} and their product would be at most 25<4225<42, so both are positive divisors of 4242 with product 4242. The positive divisors of 42=2⋅3⋅742=2\cdot3\cdot7 number 23=82^3=8, giving the ordered pairs (m−6,n−6)=(1,42),(2,21),(3,14),(6,7)(m-6,n-6)=(1,42),(2,21),(3,14),(6,7) and their reversals, i.e. (7,48),(8,27),(9,20),(12,13)(7,48),(8,27),(9,20),(12,13) and (48,7),(27,8),(20,9),(13,12)(48,7),(27,8),(20,9),(13,12). A brute-force search over m,n<2000m,n<2000 confirms exactly 88 pairs. Note that m=6m=6 or n=6n=6 is impossible, since it would make (m−6)(n−6)=0≠42(m-6)(n-6)=0\ne42.
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