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Algebra Difficulty 3.2 AMC 10/12 Find the answer

Given f(x)=atanxbx5+cx3f(x)=a\tan x - bx^5 + cx - 3, and f(3)=7f(-3)=7, what is the value of f(3)f(3)?

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

Let's introduce the function g(x)=f(x)+3=atanxbx5+cxg(x) = f(x) + 3 = a\tan x - bx^5 + cx. According to the problem statement f(3)=7f(-3)=7, we have g(3)=f(3)+3=10g(-3)=f(-3)+3=10.

Firstly, let's consider the transformation of g(x)g(x) when xx is replaced by x-x:
\begin{align*}
g(-x) &= a\tan (-x) - b(-x)^5 + c(-x)\\
&= -a\tan x + bx^5 - cx\\
&= -(a\tan x - bx^5 + cx)\\
&= -g(x).
\end{align*}

From the last equation, we can see that g(x)g(x) is an odd function since g(x)=g(x)g(-x) = -g(x) holds for all xx in the domain.

Now, knowing that g(3)=10g(-3) = 10, and using the fact that g(x)g(x) is odd, we can find the value of g(3)g(3):
\begin{align*}
g(3) &= -g(-3)\\
&= -10.
\end{align*}

Hence, we can determine the value of f(3)f(3) using g(3)g(3):
\begin{align*}
f(3) &= g(3) - 3\\
&= -10 - 3\\
&= -13.
\end{align*}

Therefore, the value of f(3)f(3) is \boxed{-13}.

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Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.