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smc

number theory senior

Problem

How many pairs of positive integers (a,b) with satisfy the equation
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Solution
We can rewrite the left-hand side as by multiplying the numerator and denominator by . Now we can multiply the top part of the fraction by the denominator to give . Now, as and are positive, we cannot have , so we must have , so the solutions are , which is 7 ordered pairs. # Solution 2 The equation is equivalent to or . The s cancel out leaving us with . This is asking us for the positive multiples of up to , and we know that , so our answer is .
Final answer
C