MathDB
Putnam 1952 B3

Source:

May 30, 2022
Putnam

Problem Statement

Develop necessary and sufficient conditions that the equation 0a1xa2xa1x0a3xa2xa3x0=0(ai0) \begin{vmatrix} 0 & a_1 - x & a_2 - x \\ -a_1 - x & 0 & a_3 - x \\ -a_2 - x & -a_3 - x & 0\end{vmatrix} = 0 \qquad (a_i \neq 0) shall have a multiple root.