Browse · MATH
Printjmc
algebra senior
Problem
I randomly pick an integer between and inclusive. What is the probability that I choose a such that there exists an integer so that and satisfy the equation ? Express your answer as a common fraction.
Solution
We approach this problem by trying to find solutions to the equation . To do this, we can use Simon's Favorite Factoring Trick and add to both sides to get . This can be factored into We now can see that there are solutions only if divides . Thus, there are possible values of between and inclusive . It follows that the probability of picking such a is .
Final answer
\frac{2}{5}