Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /53 of 100

Algebra Difficulty 4.9 AIME Find the answer China

Let f(x)=3sinx+2cosx+1f(x) = 3\sin x + 2\cos x + 1. If real numbers a,b,ca, b, c are such that af(x)+bf(xc)=1af(x) + bf(x-c) = 1 holds for any xRx \in \mathbb{R}, then bcosca\frac{b\cos c}{a} equals ( ).

This was a multiple-choice question, but the options didn't survive into the source we have. The answer given is C, and the solution below works it through.

Solution

Let c=πc = \pi. Then f(x)+f(xc)=2f(x) + f(x-c) = 2 for any xRx \in \mathbb{R}.
Now let a=b=12a = b = \frac{1}{2}, and c=πc = \pi. We have
af(x)+bf(xc)=1 af(x) + bf(x-c) = 1
for any xRx \in \mathbb{R}. Consequently, bcosca=1\frac{b\cos c}{a} = -1. So Answer is (C).

More generally, we have
f(x)=13sin(x+φ)+1, f(x) = \sqrt{13}\sin(x + \varphi) + 1,
f(xc)=13sin(x+φc)+1, f(x-c) = \sqrt{13}\sin(x + \varphi - c) + 1,
where 0<φ<π20 < \varphi < \frac{\pi}{2} and tanφ=23\tan \varphi = \frac{2}{3}. Then af(x)+bf(xc)=1af(x) + bf(x-c) = 1 becomes
13asin(x+φ)+13bsin(x+φc)+a+b=1. \sqrt{13}a\sin(x + \varphi) + \sqrt{13}b\sin(x + \varphi - c) + a + b = 1.
That is,
13asin(x+φ)+13bsin(x+φ)cosc13bsinccos(x+φ)+(a+b1)=0. \sqrt{13}a\sin(x + \varphi) + \sqrt{13}b\sin(x + \varphi)\cos c - \sqrt{13}b\sin c\cos(x + \varphi) + (a + b - 1) = 0.
Therefore
13(a+bcosc)sin(x+φ)13bsinccos(x+φ)+(a+b1)=0. \sqrt{13}(a + b\cos c)\sin(x + \varphi) - \sqrt{13}b\sin c\cos(x + \varphi) + (a + b - 1) = 0.
Since the equality above holds for any xRx \in \mathbb{R}, we must have
{a+bcosc=0,bsinc=0,1 \begin{cases} a + b\cos c = 0, \\ b\sin c = 0, \end{cases} \qquad \textcircled{1}
{bsinc=0,a+b1=0.2 \begin{cases} b\sin c = 0, \\ a + b - 1 = 0. \end{cases} \qquad \textcircled{2}
{a+b1=0.3 \begin{cases} a + b - 1 = 0. \end{cases} \qquad \textcircled{3}
If b=0b=0, then a=0a=0 from ①, and this contradicts ③. So b0b \neq 0, and sinc=0\sin c = 0 from ②. Therefore c=2kπ+πc = 2k\pi + \pi or c=2kπc = 2k\pi (kZk \in \mathbb{Z}).
If c=2kπc = 2k\pi, then cosc=1\cos c = 1, and it leads to a contradiction between ① and ③. So c=2kπ+πc = 2k\pi + \pi (kZk \in \mathbb{Z}) and cosc=1\cos c = -1. From ① and ③, we get a=b=12a = b = \frac{1}{2}. Consequently, bcosca=1\frac{b\cos c}{a} = -1.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

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