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Algebra Difficulty 3.8 AMC 10/12 Find the answer

Given the function f(x)={2xa,x<2x23ax+2a2,x2f(x) = \begin{cases} |2^{x}-a|, & x < 2 \\ x^{2}-3ax+2a^{2}, & x\geqslant 2 \end{cases}, find the range of the real number aa such that the function f(x)f(x) has exactly 22 zero points.

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

Solution

For x<2x < 2, since y=2xy=2^{x}, we have 0<2x<40 < 2^{x} < 4.
- When 0<a<40 < a < 4, the equation 2xa=0|2^{x}-a|=0 has one solution.
- When a0a \leqslant 0 or a4a \geqslant 4, the equation 2xa=0|2^{x}-a|=0 has no solution.

For x2x\geqslant 2, notice that x23ax+2a2=(xa)(x2a)x^{2}-3ax+2a^{2}=(x-a)(x-2a).
- When a(0,1)a \in (0,1), the equation x23ax+2a2=0x^{2}-3ax+2a^{2}=0 has no solutions in [1,+)[1,+\infty).
- When a[1,2)a \in [1,2), the equation x23ax+2a2=0x^{2}-3ax+2a^{2}=0 has exactly one solution in [1,+)[1,+\infty).
- When a[2,+)a \in [2,+\infty), the equation x23ax+2a2=0x^{2}-3ax+2a^{2}=0 has exactly two solutions in [1,+)[1,+\infty).

In conclusion, the function f(x)f(x) has exactly 22 zero points when 1a<21\leqslant a < 2 or a4a\geqslant 4.

Therefore, the answer is 1a<2 or a4\boxed{1\leqslant a < 2 \text{ or } a\geqslant 4}.

This problem tests our understanding of piecewise functions and the ability to classify and discuss the problem from different angles, breaking down the problem and studying it from multiple perspectives.

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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.