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Algebra Difficulty 5.6 AIME, harder Prove it Romania

Determine complex numbers zz verifying z3n+zˉ3n0z^{3n} + \bar{z}^{3n} \ge 0, for any non-negative integer nn.

Solution

Put z3n+zˉ3n=fn(z)z^{3n} + \bar{z}^{3n} = f_n(z). As fn(z)=fn(z)f_n(z) = \overline{f_n(z)}, we get fn(z)Rf_n(z) \in \mathbb{R}, for all zCz \in \mathbb{C}. We should determine the set M={zC/fn(z)0}M = \{z \in \mathbb{C} / f_n(z) \ge 0\}. If zMz \in M, then f0(z)=z+zˉ0f_0(z) = z + \bar{z} \ge 0, so Re(z)0\text{Re}(z) \ge 0.

For non-negative zRz \in \mathbb{R}, fn(z)=2z3n0f_n(z) = 2z^{3n} \ge 0, for all non-negative integers nn, implying [0,)M[0, \infty) \subset M.

If z=biCz = bi \in \mathbb{C}, bRb \in \mathbb{R}, then zˉ=z\bar{z} = -z, so fn(z)=0f_n(z) = 0, for nNn \in \mathbb{N}, so {bi/bR}M\{bi / b \in \mathbb{R}\} \subset M. As fn(z)=fn(zˉ)f_n(z) = f_n(\bar{z}), we have zMzˉMz \in M \Leftrightarrow \bar{z} \in M.

It remains to find zMz \in M such that Re(z)>0\text{Re}(z) > 0 and Im(z)>0\text{Im}(z) > 0. Let z=r(cost+isint)z = r(\cos t + i \sin t) with r>0r > 0, t(0,π2)t \in (0, \frac{\pi}{2}). Then fn(z)=2r3ncos(3nt)f_n(z) = 2r^{3n} \cos(3^n t), so zMcos(3nt)0z \in M \Leftrightarrow \cos(3^n t) \ge 0, for all nNn \in \mathbb{N}.

As t(0,π2)t \in (0, \frac{\pi}{2}), there is kNk \in \mathbb{N} such that 3ktπ2<3k+1t3^k t \le \frac{\pi}{2} < 3^{k+1}t (in fact k=log3π2tk = \lfloor \log_3 \frac{\pi}{2t} \rfloor). If 3kt=π23^k t = \frac{\pi}{2}, then cos(3nt)>0\cos(3^n t) > 0, for all n{0,1,2,,k1}n \in \{0, 1, 2, \dots, k-1\} and cos(3nt)=0\cos(3^n t) = 0, for all nkn \ge k, that is zMz \in M. If 3kt<π2<3k+1t3^k t < \frac{\pi}{2} < 3^{k+1}t, then π2<3k+1t<3π2\frac{\pi}{2} < 3^{k+1}t < \frac{3\pi}{2}, implying cos(3k+1t)<0\cos(3^{k+1}t) < 0, that is zMz \notin M.

In conclusion
M=[0,){r(cosπ23k±isinπ23k)/r>0,kN}. M = [0, \infty) \cup \left\{ r \left( \cos \frac{\pi}{2 \cdot 3^k} \pm i \sin \frac{\pi}{2 \cdot 3^k} \right) / r > 0, k \in \mathbb{N} \right\}.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.