Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 22 3 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the congruent number elliptic curve in the equivalent coordinatesThe rational point lies on it, since . By the preceding rational torsion of a congruent number curve result, every rational torsion point of an elliptic curve has or is . Thus is not a torsion point of an elliptic curve, and its positive multiples give infinitely many distinct rational points with nonzero .
For any such point , putThe identity proves that these positive rational numbers are the sides of a right triangle. Their area isAll three sides are nonzero because a point with has . For the construction gives .
It remains to ensure that infinitely many points do not describe only finitely many triangles. Given the ordered positive pair , set . Then satisfiesThere are at most two possible , then at most two signs of and two signs of . Thus each ordered triangle has at most eight preimages; allowing interchange of its legs still gives a finite number. There are infinitely many distinct rational right triangles of area . This is the infinitely many rational right triangles from a nontorsion point principle.