GeometryDifficulty 9.0IMO levelProve itUnited States
Let r be a rational number in the interval [−1,1], and let θ=cos−1r. Call a subset S of the plane good if S is unchanged upon rotation by θ around any point of S (in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions). Determine all values of r satisfying the following property: The midpoint of any two points in a good set also lies in the set.
(This problem was suggested by Ricky Liu.)
Solution
We claim the answer is r=1−4k1 for all positive integers k.
Suppose A and B are points in S. Place A and B on the complex plane such that A=0 and B=1, and let ω=cosθ+isinθ=r+i1−r2. We claim that any good set containing A and B contains the good set T of numbers of the form f(ω), where f(x) is a Laurent polynomial—that is, xnf(x) is a polynomial for some (possibly negative) integer n—with integer coefficients, and f(1)=0 or 1.
We first show that T is good. Indeed, for any p∈T, the rotation Rp about p by θ sends z↦Rp(z)=(z−p)ω+p. If p=f(ω) and z=g(ω)∈T, then h(x)=(g(x)−f(x))⋅x+f(x) satisfies Rp(z)=h(ω) and h(1)=g(1)=0 or 1, so Rp(z)∈T. Similarly, Rp−1(z)=(z−p)⋅ω−1+p∈T, so T is good.
Next we show that any good set S containing 0 and 1 contains all of T. Let f(x) be any Laurent polynomial with integer coefficients with f(1)=0 or 1. We will show that f(ω)∈S. We induct on the sum s of the absolute value of the coefficients of f(x). The case s=0 is trivial. For s=1, f(ω) must be a power of ω, which is of the form R0k(1)∈S. For s≥2, f(x) must have at least one positive and one negative coefficient, so write f(x)=xa−xb+g(x), where the sum of the absolute values of the coefficients of g(x) is s−2. Since g(1)=f(1), g(ω)∈S by induction. Then x−af(x)=(x−bg(x)−1)⋅xb−a+1, so f(ω)=R0a∘R1b−a∘R0−b(g(ω))∈S, completing the induction.
It follows that r satisfies the desired condition if and only if we can write 21=f(ω)∈T. Then there is a polynomial g(x)=xn(2f(x)−1), all but one of whose coefficients are even, that has ω as a root. If r=±1, so ω=±1, this is clearly impossible. Otherwise, let r=ba with a and b relatively prime. Then the minimal polynomial p(x) of ω over the integers is bx2−2ax+b if b is odd and 2bx2−ax+2b if b is even. This minimal polynomial must divide g(x). But since g(x) is congruent to a power of x modulo 2, p(x) must also be congruent to a power of x modulo 2. The only possibility is for b to be a multiple of 4 (and a to be odd).
Finally, since g(1)=2f(1)−1=±1 and p(1)∣g(1), we must have that p(1)=±1 as well. Since p(1)=2b−a+2b=b−a, we must have b=a±1. Since ∣r∣≤1, ∣a∣≤∣b∣. We find then that the only possibilities are r=1−4k1, where we can let a=4k−1 and b=4k, so p(1)=1. Then letting f(x)=21(x−1p(x)+1)=kx−(2k−1)+kx−1, we find that f(1)=1, so 21=f(ω)∈T, as desired.
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