Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2012/iii/paper-10/2/ii/solution

Again use integer coefficients after clearing denominators and put . If , choose any odd positive integer and take all . This gives a monochromatic solution in any colouring.
For necessity, suppose and choose with . Colour the odd positive integers by their residue classes modulo . In any monochromatic candidate, for a common odd . The equation would imply . Since is coprime to , this forces , impossible for nonzero with . Thus . This is one-equation partition regularity over odd integers; its obstruction concerns the full coefficient sum rather than just a zero-sum subset.

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