What are the possible solutions of $x+y+ {1\over x}+{1\over y}+4=2 (\sqrt {2x+1}+\sqrt {2y+1})$

algebra-precalculus

I encountered a question in an exam in which we had:

Find all possible solutions of the equation $$x+y+ {1\over x}+{1\over y}+4=2 (\sqrt {2x+1}+\sqrt {2y+1}) $$ where $x $ and $y$ are real numbers.

I tried squaring both sides to eliminate the square roots but the number of terms became too many, making the problem very difficult to handle. I am not really able to understand how to find an easier approach or handle the terms efficiently. Would someone please help me to solve this question?

Best Answer

It's $$\sum_{cyc}\left(x+\frac{1}{x}+2-2\sqrt{2x+1}\right)=0$$ or $$\sum_{cyc}\frac{x^2-2x\sqrt{2x+1}+2x+1}{x}=0$$ or $$\sum_{cyc}\frac{(x-\sqrt{2x+1})^2}{x}=0,$$ which for $xy<0$ gives infinitely many solutions.

But, for $xy>0$ we obtain: $$x=\sqrt{2x+1}$$ and $$y=\sqrt{2y+1},$$ which gives $$x=y=1+\sqrt2.$$