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Algebra Difficulty 7.3 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Bulgaria

Problem:
Find all values of the real parameter aa such that the image of the function
f(x)=sin2xasin3x(a2+2)sinx+2 f(x)=\frac{\sin^{2} x-a}{\sin^{3} x-\left(a^{2}+2\right) \sin x+2}
contains the interval [12,2]\left[\frac{1}{2}, 2\right].

Solution

Solution:
Set t=sinxt=\sin x and g(t)=t2at3(a2+2)t+2g(t)=\frac{t^{2}-a}{t^{3}-\left(a^{2}+2\right) t+2}.
If the numerator and the denominator of gg have a common root then a0a \geq 0 and t=±at= \pm \sqrt{a}. If t=at=-\sqrt{a} we obtain a(a2a+2)=2\sqrt{a}\left(a^{2}-a+2\right)=-2, which is impossible since a2a+2>0a^{2}-a+2>0 for every aa. If t=at=\sqrt{a} we obtain a(a(a1)+2)=2\sqrt{a}(a(a-1)+2)=2 and it is easy to see that a=1a=1 is the only solution of this equation (for a[0,1)a \in[0,1) the left hand side is less than 2, and for a>1a>1 it is greater than 2). For a=1a=1 we have
g(t)=t21t33t+2=t+1(t1)(t+2)0 g(t)=\frac{t^{2}-1}{t^{3}-3 t+2}=\frac{t+1}{(t-1)(t+2)} \leq 0
for every t[1,1)t \in[-1,1) which implies that this value of aa is not a solution.

We now look for a1a \neq 1 such that the equation g(t)=cg(t)=c, i.e.
h(t)=c(t3(a2+2)t+2)+at2=0 h(t)=c\left(t^{3}-\left(a^{2}+2\right) t+2\right)+a-t^{2}=0
has a solution in the interval [1,1][-1,1] for every c[12,2]c \in\left[\frac{1}{2}, 2\right]. For c12c \geq \frac{1}{2} we have
h(1)=ca2+a+3c1a22+a+12=(a+1)22 h(-1)=c a^{2}+a+3 c-1 \geq \frac{a^{2}}{2}+a+\frac{1}{2}=\frac{(a+1)^{2}}{2}
whence h(1)0h(-1) \geq 0 for every aa. Also, h(t)=3ct22tc(a2+2)h'(t)=3 c t^{2}-2 t-c\left(a^{2}+2\right) and therefore h(1)=cca220h'(1)=c-c a^{2}-2 \leq 0 for c[12,2]c \in\left[\frac{1}{2}, 2\right] and every aa. Hence the equation h(t)=0h'(t)=0 has real roots t1t_{1} and t2t_{2} such that t11<t2t_{1} \leq 1<t_{2}.
Thus the function h(t)h(t) is decreasing in the interval [t1,t2]1\left[t_{1}, t_{2}\right] \ni 1 and increasing in the interval (,t1]\left(-\infty, t_{1}\right]. Since h(1)0h(-1) \geq 0, it is easy to see that h(t)=0h(t)=0 has a solution in the interval [1,1][-1,1] for every c[12,2]c \in\left[\frac{1}{2}, 2\right] if and only if
h(1)=(a1)(1c(1+a))0 h(1)=(a-1)(1-c(1+a)) \leq 0
for every such cc. For a>1a>1 this inequality is satisfied since 112(1+a)<01-\frac{1}{2}(1+a)<0, and for a<1a<1 it is equivalent to 12(1+a)01-2(1+a) \geq 0, i.e. a12a \leq-\frac{1}{2}.
Finally, the required values of aa are a(,12](1,+)a \in\left(-\infty,-\frac{1}{2}\right] \cup(1,+\infty).

Second solution:
Using the same reasoning as above we reduce the problem to finding of those aa such that [12,2]g([1,1])\left[\frac{1}{2}, 2\right] \subset g([-1,1]).
Set h(t)=t3(a2+2)t+2h(t)=t^{3}-\left(a^{2}+2\right) t+2. Then h(t)=3t2(a2+2)h'(t)=3 t^{2}-\left(a^{2}+2\right) and for a21a^{2} \geq 1 it follows that h(t)<0h'(t)<0 for t(1,1)t \in(-1,1). Therefore h(t)h(t) is a strictly decreasing continuous function in the interval (1,1](-1,1]. Since
h(1)=1a20<a2+3=h(1) h(1)=1-a^{2} \leq 0<a^{2}+3=h(-1)
it follows that h(t)h(t) has a unique zero t0(1,1]t_{0} \in(-1,1].

We now consider several cases.

Case 1. Let a>1a>1. Then t01,limtt0+0g(t)=+t_{0} \neq 1, \lim _{t \rightarrow t_{0}+0} g(t)=+\infty and g(1)=1a1a2=11+a<12g(1)=\frac{1-a}{1-a^{2}}=\frac{1}{1+a}<\frac{1}{2}. Since the function g(t)g(t) is decreasing and continuous in (t0,1]\left(t_{0}, 1\right], it follows that
[12,2][12,+)g((t0,1])g([1,1]) \left[\frac{1}{2}, 2\right] \subset\left[\frac{1}{2},+\infty\right) \subset g\left(\left(t_{0}, 1\right]\right) \subset g([-1,1])

Case 2. Let a1a \leq-1. Now limtt00g(t)=+\lim _{t \rightarrow t_{0}-0} g(t)=+\infty and g(1)=1aa2+312g(-1)=\frac{1-a}{a^{2}+3} \leq \frac{1}{2} (the last inequality is equivalent to (a+1)20(a+1)^{2} \geq 0 ). Then
[12,2][12,+)g([1,t0))g([1,1]) \left[\frac{1}{2}, 2\right] \subset\left[\frac{1}{2},+\infty\right) \subset g\left(\left[-1, t_{0}\right)\right) \subset g([-1,1])

Case 3. Let a=1a=1. Then we see as in the first solution that g(t)0g(t) \leq 0 for t[1,1)t \in[-1,1).

Case 4. Let a(1,1)a \in(-1,1). We first check that h(t)>0h(t)>0 for t[1,1]t \in[-1,1], which implies that g(t)g(t) is a continuous function in that interval.
Indeed, if t[1,0]t \in[-1,0], then h(t)t3+2>0h(t) \geq t^{3}+2>0 and if t(0,1]t \in(0,1], then h(t)>t33t+2=(t1)2(t+2)0h(t)>t^{3}-3 t+2=(t-1)^{2}(t+2) \geq 0.

Case 4.1. If a(1,12]a \in\left(-1,-\frac{1}{2}\right], then g(1)=1aa2+3<12,g(1)=11+a2g(-1)=\frac{1-a}{a^{2}+3}<\frac{1}{2}, g(1)=\frac{1}{1+a} \geq 2 and therefore [12,2]g([1,1])\left[\frac{1}{2}, 2\right] \subset g([-1,1]).

Case 4.2. If a(12,1)a \in\left(-\frac{1}{2}, 1\right), we shall show that g(t)<2g(t)<2 for every t[1,1]t \in[-1,1]. Since h(t)>0h(t)>0 in this interval, we have to check that
t2<2(t3(a2+2)t+2) t^{2}<2\left(t^{3}-\left(a^{2}+2\right) t+2\right)
i.e.
m(t)=2t3t22(a2+2)t+a+4>0, t[1,1] m(t)=2 t^{3}-t^{2}-2\left(a^{2}+2\right) t+a+4>0,\ t \in[-1,1]
We have
m(t)=6t22t2(a2+2)6t22t4=(6t+4)(t1) m'(t)=6 t^{2}-2 t-2\left(a^{2}+2\right) \leq 6 t^{2}-2 t-4=(6 t+4)(t-1)
and therefore m(t)0m'(t) \leq 0 in the interval [23,1]\left[-\frac{2}{3}, 1\right]. Hence m(t)m(t) is a decreasing function in this interval which implies that
m(t)m(1)=2a2+a+1=(1+2a)(1a)>0 m(t) \geq m(1)=-2 a^{2}+a+1=(1+2 a)(1-a)>0
for any t[23,1]t \in\left[-\frac{2}{3}, 1\right]. On the other hand, we have
m(t)2t3t2+a+42112+4>0 m(t) \geq 2 t^{3}-t^{2}+a+4 \geq-2-1-\frac{1}{2}+4>0
for t[1,0]t \in[-1,0], which completes the proof of (1).

The cases considered above cover all possibilities for aa and we conclude that the answer is a(,12](1,+)a \in\left(-\infty,-\frac{1}{2}\right] \cup(1,+\infty).

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