Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / AMC 12 B /3 of 18

AMC 12 B, 2024

Algebra Difficulty 4.3 AIME Find the answer United States

What value of xx satisfies
log⁡2x⋅log⁡3xlog⁡2x+log⁡3x=2? \frac{\log_2 x \cdot \log_3 x}{\log_2 x + \log_3 x} = 2?

Pick one

Solution

Answer (C): Observe that
2=log⁡2x⋅log⁡3xlog⁡2x+log⁡3x=11log⁡3x+1log⁡2x=1log⁡43+log⁡42=1log⁡46=log⁡6x. \begin{aligned} 2 &= \frac{\log_2 x \cdot \log_3 x}{\log_2 x + \log_3 x} \\ &= \frac{1}{\frac{1}{\log_3 x} + \frac{1}{\log_2 x}} \\ &= \frac{1}{\log_4 3 + \log_4 2} \\ &= \frac{1}{\log_4 6} = \log_6 x. \end{aligned}
It follows that x=62=36x = 6^2 = 36.

The given equation is equivalent to
log⁡2x⋅log⁡3x=2log⁡2x+2log⁡3x. \log_2 x \cdot \log_3 x = 2 \log_2 x + 2 \log_3 x.
Note that log⁡3x=log⁡2xlog⁡23\log_3 x = \frac{\log_2 x}{\log_2 3}, so
log⁡2x⋅log⁡2xlog⁡23=2log⁡2x+2log⁡2xlog⁡23. \log_2 x \cdot \frac{\log_2 x}{\log_2 3} = 2 \log_2 x + 2 \frac{\log_2 x}{\log_2 3}.
Multiplying both sides by log⁡23log⁡2x\frac{\log_2 3}{\log_2 x} gives
log⁡2x=2log⁡23+2=log⁡29+2. \log_2 x = 2 \log_2 3 + 2 = \log_2 9 + 2.
Then
x=2log⁡29+2=2log⁡29⋅22=9⋅4=36. x = 2^{\log_2 9+2} = 2^{\log_2 9} \cdot 2^2 = 9 \cdot 4 = 36.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,604 problems in a working order, from Junior Challenge level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.