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Exercise 2134Algebra › Equations and radicalsOlympiadAdded 3 Nov 2026

A cyclic system

#cyclic system#symmetric#olympiad

Statement

Solve in R3\mathbb{R}^3 the system
{x2=yz+1y2=zx+1z2=xy+1\begin{cases}x^2=yz+1\\ y^2=zx+1\\ z^2=xy+1\end{cases}

Hint

Subtract the equations pairwise to get (x−y)(x+y+z)=0(x-y)(x+y+z)=0 and its cyclic analogues. Then split into the cases x+y+z=0x+y+z=0 and x+y+z≠0x+y+z\ne0.

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Solution

Pairwise subtraction. Subtracting the second equation from the first:
x2−y2=z(y−x) ⟺ (x−y)(x+y+z)=0.x^2-y^2=z(y-x)\ \Longleftrightarrow\ (x-y)(x+y+z)=0.
Similarly,
(y−z)(x+y+z)=0,(z−x)(x+y+z)=0.(y-z)(x+y+z)=0,\qquad (z-x)(x+y+z)=0.

Case 1: x+y+z≠0x+y+z\ne0. Then all three factors in the first position must vanish, so x=y=zx=y=z. The first equation gives x2=x2+1x^2=x^2+1, impossible. No solutions.

Case 2: x+y+z=0x+y+z=0. Then the three subtractions give no further constraint. Substitute z=−(x+y)z=-(x+y) in the first equation:
x2=−y(x+y)+1⟺x2+xy+y2=1.x^2=-y(x+y)+1\quad\Longleftrightarrow\quad x^2+xy+y^2=1.
Cyclically, y2+yz+z2=1y^2+yz+z^2=1 and z2+zx+x2=1z^2+zx+x^2=1; with x+y+z=0x+y+z=0 these are all the same equation. Adding the three original equations,
x2+y2+z2=xy+yz+zx+3.x^2+y^2+z^2=xy+yz+zx+3.
Using (x+y+z)2=x2+y2+z2+2(xy+yz+zx)=0(x+y+z)^2=x^2+y^2+z^2+2(xy+yz+zx)=0, we get xy+yz+zx=−12(x2+y2+z2)xy+yz+zx=-\tfrac12(x^2+y^2+z^2), so
x2+y2+z2=−12(x2+y2+z2)+3 ⟹ x2+y2+z2=2.x^2+y^2+z^2=-\tfrac12(x^2+y^2+z^2)+3\ \Longrightarrow\ x^2+y^2+z^2=2.
So the solution set is contained in {x+y+z=0, x2+y2+z2=2}\{x+y+z=0,\ x^2+y^2+z^2=2\}, a circle of radius 2\sqrt2 in the plane x+y+z=0x+y+z=0.

Additional constraint from x2=yz+1x^2=yz+1. With y+z=−xy+z=-x and yz=x2−1yz=x^2-1, the numbers y,zy,z are the roots of
t2+xt+(x2−1)=0.t^2+xt+(x^2-1)=0.
Its discriminant is x2−4(x2−1)=4−3x2x^2-4(x^2-1)=4-3x^2, so real y,zy,z require ∣x∣≤2/3|x|\le 2/\sqrt3. By symmetry, ∣y∣≤2/3|y|\le 2/\sqrt3 and ∣z∣≤2/3|z|\le 2/\sqrt3.

Conclusion. The solution set is
{(x,y,z)∈R3 : x+y+z=0,  x2+y2+z2=2,  ∣x∣≤2/3, ∣y∣≤2/3, ∣z∣≤2/3}.\Bigl\{(x,y,z)\in\mathbb{R}^3\ :\ x+y+z=0,\ \ x^2+y^2+z^2=2,\ \ |x|\le 2/\sqrt3,\ |y|\le 2/\sqrt3,\ |z|\le 2/\sqrt3\Bigr\}.
On the circle {x+y+z=0, x2+y2+z2=2}\{x+y+z=0,\ x^2+y^2+z^2=2\} the maximum of ∣x∣|x| is 2>2/3\sqrt2>2/\sqrt3, so the inequality constraints cut the circle into three arcs: on each arc, one of ∣x∣,∣y∣,∣z∣|x|,|y|,|z| reaches its largest value and the other two are equal. The boundary points of these arcs are the six permutations of
(13, 13, −23)and(−13, −13, 23).\Bigl(\tfrac1{\sqrt3},\,\tfrac1{\sqrt3},\,-\tfrac2{\sqrt3}\Bigr)\quad\text{and}\quad\Bigl(-\tfrac1{\sqrt3},\,-\tfrac1{\sqrt3},\,\tfrac2{\sqrt3}\Bigr).
In particular, the solution set is a continuum (three closed arcs), not a discrete set; the six permutations are its boundary points, not additional solutions.

Check of a boundary point. For (x,y,z)=(13,13,−23)(x,y,z)=\bigl(\tfrac1{\sqrt3},\tfrac1{\sqrt3},-\tfrac2{\sqrt3}\bigr): x2=13x^2=\tfrac13 and yz+1=−23+1=13yz+1=-\tfrac23+1=\tfrac13 ✓; y2=13y^2=\tfrac13 and zx+1=−23+1=13zx+1=-\tfrac23+1=\tfrac13 ✓; z2=43z^2=\tfrac43 and xy+1=13+1=43xy+1=\tfrac13+1=\tfrac43 ✓.