Let and be monic quadratic polynomials (i.e., quadratic polynomials with leading coefficient ). Let points and be vertices of parabolas and , respectively. By denote the minimal value of the function . It happens that the differences and are equal positive real numbers. Find the angle between line and the coordinate axis . (Н. Х. Агаханов)
Solution
Let the given trinomials be and , where and are the coordinates of the vertices of the parabolas. Then , and . If , then the minimal value of the expression is zero, whence . The latter contradicts the fact that is a positive number. Thus, , from which it follows that and .
Similarly, and . Now, the condition of equality of the differences can be rewritten as . Hence, since and , we obtain , that is, . Therefore, the desired angle is .
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