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Algebra Difficulty 5.9 AIME, harder Prove it Belarus

Let MM be the subset of all numbers from {1,2,,2015}\{1, 2, \dots, 2015\} which are not perfect squares.

a) Prove that {n}>0.011\{\sqrt{n}\} > 0.011 for any nMn \in M.

b) Prove that there exists a number nMn \in M such that {n}<0.0115\{\sqrt{n}\} < 0.0115.

(Here {y}\{y\} stands for the fractional part of yy.)

Solution

a.) To prove the required statement it suffices to find the number nMn \in M such that {n}=minkM{k}\{\sqrt{n}\} = \min_{k \in M}\{\sqrt{k}\}. Any number nMn \in M can be uniquely presented as
n=k2+r,(1) n = k^2 + r, \qquad (1)
where 1r2k1 \le r \le 2k, and k=[n]k = [\sqrt{n}] (\cdot is the whole part of a number). Then
{n}=k2+rk=rk2+r+k. \{\sqrt{n}\} = \sqrt{k^2 + r} - k = \frac{r}{\sqrt{k^2 + r} + k}.
Since the function y=xy = \sqrt{x} is increasing on any segment [l2,(l+1)2][l^2, (l+1)^2], lNl \in \mathbb{N}, and its values belong to [l,l+1][l, l+1], we see that {x}\{\sqrt{x}\} has its minimal value for positive integers x(l2,(l+1)2)x \in (l^2, (l+1)^2) when x=l2+1x = l^2 + 1. So the minimal value of {n}\{\sqrt{n}\} one can look for among nn such that r=1r = 1 in representation (1), i.e., in other words, one must find the minimum of the function
{n}=1k2+1+k,(2) \{\sqrt{n}\} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{k^2 + 1} + k}, \qquad (2)
where nMn \in M, k=[n]k = [\sqrt{n}]. From (2) it follows that {n}\{\sqrt{n}\}, nMn \in M, takes the minimal value when kk takes the maximal possible value. Since 442=1936<2015<2025=45244^2 = 1936 < 2015 < 2025 = 45^2, kk takes its maximal value when n=44Mn = 44 \in M. Hence for any nMn \in M we have
{n}{442+1}=1442+1+44>189>0.011. \{\sqrt{n}\} \ge \{\sqrt{44^2 + 1}\} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{44^2 + 1} + 44} > \frac{1}{89} > 0.011.

b.) We have
{442+1}=1442+1+44<188<0.0115. \{\sqrt{44^2 + 1}\} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{44^2 + 1} + 44} < \frac{1}{88} < 0.0115.

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