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Algebra Difficulty 6.2 National olympiad Prove it Romania

Let a,b,ca, b, c be nonzero complex numbers of the same modulus for which the numbers A=a+b+cA = a+b+c and B=abcB = abc are real. Prove that, for any nonnegative integer number nn, the number Cn=an+bn+cnC_n = a^n + b^n + c^n is real.

Solution

Let α,β,γ\alpha, \beta, \gamma be the reduced arguments of the complex numbers a,b,ca, b, c. Since abcRabc \in \mathbb{R}, it follows that sin(α+β+γ)=0\sin(\alpha + \beta + \gamma) = 0, i.e., α+β+γ=kπ\alpha + \beta + \gamma = k\pi, where kZk \in \mathbb{Z}. Therefore, we can write γ=kπαβ\gamma = k\pi - \alpha - \beta for some integer kk. Furthermore, from a+b+cRa+b+c \in \mathbb{R} we have sinα+sinβ+sinγ=0\sin \alpha + \sin \beta + \sin \gamma = 0, thus sinα+sinβ=sinγ=sin(kπαβ)\sin \alpha + \sin \beta = -\sin \gamma = -\sin(k\pi - \alpha - \beta), leading to sinα+sinβ=sin(α+β)|\sin \alpha + \sin \beta| = |\sin(\alpha + \beta)|, which is equivalent to:
sinα+β2cosαβ2=sinα+β2cosα+β2. \left| \sin \frac{\alpha + \beta}{2} \cos \frac{\alpha - \beta}{2} \right| = \left| \sin \frac{\alpha + \beta}{2} \cos \frac{\alpha + \beta}{2} \right|.
If sinα+β2=0\sin \frac{\alpha+\beta}{2} = 0, then there is an integer qq such that α+β2=qπ\frac{\alpha+\beta}{2} = q\pi, and γ=(k2q)π\gamma = (k-2q)\pi, hence sinγ=0\sin \gamma = 0, which leads to cRc \in \mathbb{R}.
If sinα+β20\sin \frac{\alpha+\beta}{2} \neq 0, then cosα+β2=cosαβ2|\cos \frac{\alpha+\beta}{2}| = |\cos \frac{\alpha-\beta}{2}|, from which we have cos2α+β2=cos2αβ2\cos^2 \frac{\alpha+\beta}{2} = \cos^2 \frac{\alpha-\beta}{2}, thus cos(α+β)=cos(αβ)\cos(\alpha + \beta) = \cos(\alpha - \beta), leading to sinαsinβ=0\sin \alpha \sin \beta = 0, i.e., at least one of the numbers aa or bb is real.
Therefore, at least one of the numbers a,ba, b, or cc is real. Let this number be aa. From the hypothesis, we obtain that b+cRb+c \in \mathbb{R}, and since aa is nonzero, we also have bcRbc \in \mathbb{R}. If bb is real, then cc will also be real, so CnC_n is real for any nNn \in \mathbb{N}. If bCRb \in \mathbb{C} \setminus \mathbb{R}, then bb and cc are the roots of a quadratic equation with real coefficients, thus b=cˉb = \bar{c}. Consequently, Cn=an+bn+cn=an+bn+bˉn=an+bn+cˉnRC_n = a^n + b^n + c^n = a^n + b^n + \bar{b}^n = a^n + b^n + \bar{c}^n \in \mathbb{R}.

Alternative solution.
Let a=b=c=r>0|a| = |b| = |c| = r > 0. For a complex number zz with modulus r>0r > 0, we have zˉ=r2z\bar{z} = \frac{r^2}{z}. Since AA is a real number, we obtain:
a+b+c=aˉ+bˉ+cˉ=r2a+r2b+r2c=r2ab+bc+caabcR, a+b+c = \bar{a}+\bar{b}+\bar{c} = \frac{r^2}{a}+\frac{r^2}{b}+\frac{r^2}{c} = r^2 \cdot \frac{ab+bc+ca}{abc} \in \mathbb{R},
which implies ab+bc+caRab + bc + ca \in \mathbb{R}.
For n=0n = 0 we have C0=3C_0 = 3, and for n=1n = 1 we have C1=ARC_1 = A \in \mathbb{R}. Also, for n=2n = 2 we have C2=A22(ab+bc+ca)RC_2 = A^2 - 2(ab + bc + ca) \in \mathbb{R}. For n2n \ge 2, we have:
Cn+1=ACn(ab+bc+ca)Cn1+BCn2. C_{n+1} = A \cdot C_n - (ab + bc + ca) \cdot C_{n-1} + B \cdot C_{n-2}.
By induction, it now follows that CnRC_n \in \mathbb{R} for any nNn \in \mathbb{N}.

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