Maths Olympiad Prep

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Algebra Difficulty 4.2 AIME Prove it Canada

If (x2013)(y2014)(x2013)2+(y2014)2=12\dfrac{(x-2013)(y-2014)}{(x-2013)^2 + (y-2014)^2}=-\dfrac{1}{2}, what is the value of x+yx+y?
Determine all real numbers xx for which (log10x)log10(log10x)=10000(\log_{10} x)^{\log_{10}( \log_{10} x)} = 10\,000

Solution

Let a=x2013a=x-2013 and let b=y2014b=y-2014.

The given equation becomes aba2+b2=12\dfrac{ab}{a^2+b^2} = -\dfrac{1}{2}, which is equivalent to 2ab=a2b22ab = -a^2-b^2 and a2+2ab+b2=0a^2+2ab+b^2=0.

This is equivalent to (a+b)2=0(a+b)^2 = 0 which is equivalent to a+b=0a+b=0.

Since a=x2013a=x-2013 and b=y2014b=y-2014, then x2013+y2014=0x-2013+y-2014=0 or x+y=4027x+y=4027.
Let a=log10xa = \log_{10} x.

Then (log10x)log10(log10x)=10000(\log_{10}x)^{\log_{10}(\log_{10} x)} = 10\,000 becomes alog10a=104a^{\log_{10}a} = 10^4.

Taking the base 10 logarithm of both sides and using the fact that log10(ab)=blog10a\log_{10}(a^b) = b\log_{10}a, we obtain (log10a)(log10a)=4(\log_{10} a)(\log_{10} a) = 4 or (log10a)2=4(\log_{10} a)^2 = 4.

Therefore, log10a=±2\log_{10} a = \pm 2 and so log10(log10x)=±2\log_{10}(\log_{10} x) = \pm 2.

If log10(log10x)=2\log_{10}(\log_{10} x) = 2, then log10x=102=100\log_{10}x = 10^2 = 100 and so x=10100x = 10^{100}.

If log10(log10x)=2\log_{10}(\log_{10} x) = -2, then log10x=102=1100\log_{10}x = 10^{-2} = \frac{1}{100} and so x=101/100x = 10^{1/100}.

Therefore, x=10100x = 10^{100} or x=101/100x = 10^{1/100}.

We check these answers in the original equation.

If x=10100x = 10^{100}, then log10x=100\log_{10}x = 100.

Thus, (log10x)log10(log10x)=100log10100=1002=10000(\log_{10}x)^{\log_{10}(\log_{10} x)} = 100^{\log_{10} 100} = 100^2 = 10\,000.

If x=101/100x = 10^{1/100}, then log10x=1/100=102\log_{10}x = 1/100 = 10^{-2}.

Thus, (log10x)log10(log10x)=(102)log10(102)=(102)2=104=10000(\log_{10}x)^{\log_{10}(\log_{10} x)} = (10^{-2})^{\log_{10} (10^{-2})} = (10^{-2})^{-2} = 10^4 = 10\,000.

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Source: CEMC, University of Waterloo, licensed CC-BY-NC-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.