If $x, y, z$ are complex numbers, how can I solve this system of equations \begin{cases} x(x-y)(x-z)=3;\ \\y(y-z)(y-x)=3;\ \\z(z-x)(z-y)=3. \end{cases}
How can I solve a system of equations?
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0The answer consists of the roots of the equation $z^3=1$. – 2011-12-01
1 Answers
I suggest following approach, take the first equation and the second and multiply the right hand side of one with the left hand side of the other and visa versa to get after simplyfing:
$3x(x-z)=-3y(y-z) \; .$
Rearranging, you can write this as
$x^2+y^2=z(x+y) \; .$
Doing this to the other pairs of equations you get the new system:
$\begin{cases} x^2+y^2=z(x+y) \; ,\ \\y^2+z^2=x(y+z) \; ,\ \\x^2+z^2=y(x+z) \; . \end{cases}$
Substracting the first of these with the third, you get
$z^2-y^2=x(y-z) \; ,$
and adding that to the second equation gives
$z^2=xy \; .$
So you'll end up with the system
$\begin{cases} x^2=yz \; ,\ \\y^2=xz \; ,\ \\z^2=xy \; . \end{cases}$
multiplying these equations by the appropriate factor, you can see that
$x^3=y^3=z^3=xyz \; .$
This is satisfied by the roots of a polynomial equation of the form $z^3=z_0$.
Let's call one of these roots $r$, then the other roots are $re^{2\pi i/3}$ and $re^{4\pi i/3}$. Filling this in the first of your original equations will determine that $r$ should be a cube root of unity. Therefore the solutions will be: $x=1, y=e^{2\pi i/3}$ and $z=e^{4\pi i/3}$ and any permutation of these.