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Algebra Difficulty 5.6 AIME, harder Prove it Romania

3log5(5x10)2=51+log3x. 3^{\log_5(5x-10)} - 2 = 5^{-1+\log_3 x}.

Solution

We notice that the equation has solutions x1=3x_1 = 3 and x2=27x_2 = 27. We show that the equation does not have any other solutions.

Continuation A.
Using the properties of logarithms, the equation becomes 153log5(x2)=10+5log3x15 \cdot 3^{\log_5(x-2)} = 10 + 5^{\log_3 x}, or 15(x2)log53=10+xlog3515(x-2)^{\log_5 3} = 10 + x^{\log_3 5}, with x>2x > 2. Since log35>1\log_3 5 > 1 and 0<log53<10 < \log_5 3 < 1, the function 2<x15(x2)log532 < x \mapsto 15(x-2)^{\log_5 3} is strictly concave, and the function 0<x10+xlog350 < x \mapsto 10+x^{\log_3 5} is strictly convex. Hence, the function f:(2,)Rf : (2, \infty) \to \mathbb{R}, f(x)=15(x2)log5310xlog35f(x) = 15(x-2)^{\log_5 3} - 10 - x^{\log_3 5} is strictly concave, and the equation has at most two solutions.

Continuation B.
From the existence condition of logarithms, we have x>2x > 2. We observe that the function f:(2,)(0,)f : (2, \infty) \to (0, \infty), f(x)=3log5(5x10)f(x) = 3^{\log_5(5x-10)} has inverse which is f1(x)=5log3x+105f^{-1}(x) = \frac{5^{\log_3 x}+10}{5}, and the equation from the statement becomes f(x)=f1(x)f(x) = f^{-1}(x).
Since ff is strictly increasing, the equation from the statement is equivalent to f(x)=xf(x) = x, meaning 3log5(5x10)=x3^{\log_5(5x-10)} = x, or log5(5x10)=log3x\log_5(5x-10) = \log_3 x. If log5(5x10)=log3x=t\log_5(5x-10) = \log_3 x = t, then x=3t=15(5t+10)x = 3^t = \frac{1}{5}(5^t + 10), which is equivalent to solving the equation 53t=5t+105 \cdot 3^t = 5^t + 10, or 5=(53)t+10(13)t5 = \left(\frac{5}{3}\right)^t + 10\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)^t, with t>log32t > \log_3 2. Since the function g:(log32,)Rg : (\log_3 2, \infty) \to \mathbb{R}, g(t)=(53)t+10(13)tg(t) = \left(\frac{5}{3}\right)^t + 10\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)^t is strictly convex, being the sum of strictly convex functions, the equation g(t)=5g(t) = 5 admits at most two solutions.

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