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Algebra Difficulty 7.5 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Bulgaria

Consider the function f(x)=a(sinx+cosx)3sin2x7f(x) = a(|\sin x| + |\cos x|) - 3\sin 2x - 7, where aa is a real parameter.

a) Prove that f(x)=f(π2x)=f(π+x)=f(3π2x)f(x) = f(\frac{\pi}{2} - x) = f(\pi + x) = f(\frac{3\pi}{2} - x) for every xx.

b) Find all pairs (a,n)(a, n), where nn is a positive integer, for which the equation f(x)=0f(x) = 0 has 20072007 roots in the interval (0,nπ)(0, n\pi).

Solution

a)
We have
f(x+π)=a(sin(x+π)+cos(x+π))3sin(2x+2π)7=a(sinx+cosx)3sin(2x)7=f(x),f(π2x)=a(sin(π2x)+cos(π2x))3sin(π2x)7=a(cosx+sinx)3sin(2x)7=f(x),f(3π2x)=a(sin(3π2x)+cos(3π2x))3sin(3π2x)7=a(cosx+sinx)3sin(2x)7=f(x). \begin{align*} f(x + \pi) &= a(|\sin(x + \pi)| + |\cos(x + \pi)|) - 3\sin(2x + 2\pi) - 7 \\ &= a(|-\sin x| + |-\cos x|) - 3\sin(2x) - 7 = f(x), \\ \\ f\left(\frac{\pi}{2} - x\right) &= a\left(|\sin\left(\frac{\pi}{2} - x\right)| + |\cos\left(\frac{\pi}{2} - x\right)|\right) - 3\sin(\pi - 2x) - 7 \\ &= a\left(|\cos x| + |\sin x|\right) - 3\sin(2x) - 7 = f(x), \\ \\ f\left(\frac{3\pi}{2} - x\right) &= a\left(|\sin\left(\frac{3\pi}{2} - x\right)| + |\cos\left(\frac{3\pi}{2} - x\right)|\right) - 3\sin(3\pi - 2x) - 7 \\ &= a\left(|-\cos x| + |-\sin x|\right) - 3\sin(2x) - 7 = f(x). \end{align*}

b)
Direct verification shows that for every integer kk we have f(kπ2)=a7f(\frac{k\pi}{2}) = a-7.
Moreover f(π4)=a210f(\frac{\pi}{4}) = a\sqrt{2} - 10 and f(3π4)=a24f(\frac{3\pi}{4}) = a\sqrt{2} - 4. If a7a \neq 7, a52a \neq 5\sqrt{2} and a22a \neq 2\sqrt{2}, according to a) the equation f(x)=0f(x) = 0 has even number of roots in any of the intervals (0,π2)(0, \frac{\pi}{2}) (π2,π)(\frac{\pi}{2}, \pi) and therefore it has even number of roots in the interval (0,nπ)(0, n\pi).

1. If a=7a = 7 then f(x)=7(sinx+cosx)3sin2x7f(x) = 7(|\sin x| + |\cos x|) - 3\sin 2x - 7 and f(π2)=0f(\frac{\pi}{2}) = 0.

1.1. Let x(0,π2)x \in (0, \frac{\pi}{2}). Then f(x)=7(sinx+cosx)3sin2x7f(x) = 7(\sin x + \cos x) - 3\sin 2x - 7. Set y=sinx+cosxy = \sin x + \cos x. Then y=2sin(x+π4)(1,2]y = \sqrt{2}\sin(x + \frac{\pi}{4}) \in (1, \sqrt{2}] (sin2x=y21\sin 2x = y^2 - 1) and the equation f(x)=0f(x) = 0 becomes 3y27y+4=03y^2 - 7y + 4 = 0. Therefore y1=1y_1 = 1 and y2=43y_2 = \frac{4}{3}. Hence y2=43y_2 = \frac{4}{3} and the equation f(x)=0f(x) = 0 has 2 roots in (0,π2)(0, \frac{\pi}{2}).

1.2. Let x(π2,π)x \in (\frac{\pi}{2}, \pi). Then f(x)=7(sinxcosx)3sin2x7f(x) = 7(\sin x - \cos x) - 3\sin 2x - 7. Set y=sinxcosxy = \sin x - \cos x. Then y=2sin(x+π4)(1,2]y = \sqrt{2}\sin(x + \frac{\pi}{4}) \in (1, \sqrt{2}] and f(x)=0f(x) = 0 is equivalent to 3y2+7y10=03y^2 + 7y - 10 = 0. Therefore y1=1y_1 = 1 and y2=103y_2 = -\frac{10}{3}, i.e. f(x)=0f(x) = 0 has no solutions in the given interval.
Therefore f(x)=0f(x) = 0 has 3 roots in the interval (0,π)(0, \pi). The total number of roots in the interval (0,nπ)(0, n\pi) equals 3n+n1=4n13n + n - 1 = 4n - 1 and 4n1=20074n - 1 = 2007 implies n=502n = 502.

2. If a=52a = 5\sqrt{2} then f(x)=52(sinx+cosx)3sin2x7f(x) = 5\sqrt{2}(|\sin x| + |\cos x|) - 3\sin 2x - 7.

2.1. Let x(0,π2)x \in (0, \frac{\pi}{2}). Then f(x)=52(sinx+cosx)3sin2x7f(x) = 5\sqrt{2}(\sin x + \cos x) - 3\sin 2x - 7 and setting y=sinx+cosxy = \sin x + \cos x yields that f(x)=0f(x) = 0 is equivalent to 3y252y+4=03y^2 - 5\sqrt{2}y + 4 = 0, y(1,2]y \in (1, \sqrt{2}]. Therefore y1=2y_1 = \sqrt{2} and y2=223<1y_2 = \frac{2\sqrt{2}}{3} < 1, i.e. only x=π4x = \frac{\pi}{4} is a solution.

2.2. Let x(π2,π)x \in (\frac{\pi}{2}, \pi). Then f(x)=52(sinxcosx)3sin2x7f(x) = 5\sqrt{2}(\sin x - \cos x) - 3\sin 2x - 7 and setting y=sinxcosxy = \sin x - \cos x yields that f(x)=0f(x) = 0 is equivalent to 3y2+52y10=03y^2 + 5\sqrt{2}y - 10 = 0, y(1,2]y \in (1, \sqrt{2}]. The roots of this equation do not belong to the interval (1,2](1, \sqrt{2}]. In this case there is 1 root in (0,π)(0, \pi) and nn roots in (0,nπ)(0, n\pi). Therefore n=2007n = 2007.

3. When a=22a = 2\sqrt{2} analogous observations show that there is a unique root x=3π4x = \frac{3\pi}{4} in the interval (0,π)(0, \pi) and nn roots in the interval (0,nπ)(0, n\pi). Again n=2007n = 2007.

Answer: a=7a = 7, n=502n = 502; a=52a = 5\sqrt{2}, n=2007n = 2007; a=22a = 2\sqrt{2}, n=2007n = 2007.

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