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# simplify

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Simplify $\frac{\sqrt{45 + \sqrt{1}} + \sqrt{45 + \sqrt{2}} + \sqrt{45 + \sqrt{3}} + \dots + \sqrt{45 + \sqrt{2024}}}{\sqrt{45 - \sqrt{1}} + \sqrt{45 - \sqrt{2}} + \sqrt{45 - \sqrt{3}} + \dots + \sqrt{45 - \sqrt{2024}}}.$

May 22, 2022

#1
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The expression simplifies to 5/2.  Cool problem!

May 22, 2022
#2
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We let $$A = \sqrt{45 + \sqrt1} + \sqrt{45 + \sqrt2} + \cdots + \sqrt{45 + \sqrt{2024}} = \displaystyle\sum_{k = 1}^{2024} \sqrt{45 + \sqrt k}$$ and $$B = \sqrt{45 - \sqrt 1} + \sqrt{45 - \sqrt2} + \cdots + \sqrt{45 - \sqrt{2024}} = \displaystyle\sum_{k = 1}^{2024} \sqrt{45 - \sqrt{k}}$$, and then consider A - B.

Now, $$A -B = \displaystyle\sum_{k = 1}^{2024} \left(\sqrt{45 + \sqrt k} - \sqrt{45 - \sqrt k}\right)$$. But what is the summand?

If we square it, that is $$\left(\sqrt{45 + \sqrt k} - \sqrt{45 - \sqrt k}\right)^2 = (45 + \sqrt k) - 2\sqrt{(45 - \sqrt k)(45 + \sqrt k)} + (45 - \sqrt k) = 90 - 2 \sqrt{2025 - k}$$.

Taking square root gives $$\sqrt{45 + \sqrt k} - \sqrt{45 - \sqrt k} = \sqrt 2 \cdot \sqrt{45 - \sqrt{2025 - k}}$$.

Therefore, $$A - B = \sqrt 2\displaystyle\sum_{k = 1}^{2024}\sqrt{45 - \sqrt{2025 - k}}$$. Making the substitution n = 2025 - k and replacing the dummy variable n by k gives $$A - B= \sqrt 2 \displaystyle\sum_{k = 1}^{2024} \sqrt{45 - \sqrt k} = B \sqrt 2$$.

That means $$B (1 + \sqrt 2) = A$$, and therefore $$\begin{array}{rcl} \dfrac{\sqrt{45 + \sqrt{1}} + \sqrt{45 + \sqrt{2}} + \sqrt{45 + \sqrt{3}} + \dots + \sqrt{45 + \sqrt{2024}}}{\sqrt{45 - \sqrt{1}} + \sqrt{45 - \sqrt{2}} + \sqrt{45 - \sqrt{3}} + \dots + \sqrt{45 - \sqrt{2024}}} &=& \dfrac AB\\ &=& \dfrac{(1 + \sqrt 2)B}B\\ &=& \boxed{1 + \sqrt 2} \end{array}$$

In fact, you can prove that:

$$\displaystyle \dfrac{\displaystyle \sum_{k = 1}^{n^2-1}\sqrt{n^2 - \sqrt k}}{\displaystyle \sum_{k = 1}^{n^2-1}\sqrt{n^2 + \sqrt k}} = 1 + \sqrt 2$$ for any positive integer n > 1.

May 22, 2022