AlgebraDifficulty 6.8National olympiadFind the answer
For a real number r, set ∥r∥=min{∣r−n∣:n∈Z}, where ∣⋅∣ means the absolute value of a real number. 1. Is there a nonzero real number s, such that limn→∞(2+1)ns=0 ? 2. Is there a nonzero real number s, such that limn→∞(2+3)ns=0 ?
A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.
Solution
1. Yes. We prove that s=1 has the property. Denote (2+1)n=xn+2yn, where xn,yn∈Z. Then (−2+1)n=xn−2yn and xn2−2yn2=(−1)n. It follows that ∣xn+2yn−2xn∣=∣2yn−xn=2yn+xn∣2yn2−xn2∣→0. 2. No. We prove this by contradiction. Assume that there is some real number s=0 such that (2+3)ns=mn+ϵn, where limn→∞ϵn=0. Denote α=2+3,αˉ=−2+3. Consider the power series: 1−αxs=n=0∑∞mnxn+n=0∑∞ϵnxn Since (1−αx)(1−αˉx)=1−6x+7x2, multiplying both sides of the above equation by 1−6x+7x2 we get s(1−αˉx)=(1−6x+7x2)n=0∑∞mnxn+(1−6x+7x2)n=0∑∞ϵnxn(9) Denote (1−6x+7x2)∑n=0∞mnxn=∑n=0∞pnxn,(1−6x+7x2)∑n=0∞ϵnxn=∑n=0∞ηnxn, where pn∈Z, limn→∞ηn=0. Because the left hand side of (9) is a polynomial of degree 1it holds that pn+ηn=0,n≥2. Since limn→∞ηn=0, we get pn=ηn=0 when n is large enough. As a consequnce, (1−6x+7x2)∑n=0∞mnxn and (1−6x+7x2)∑n=0∞ϵnxn are polynomials. So we have n=0∑∞ϵnxn=1−6x+7x2G(x) Write the right hand side as H(x)+1−αˉxA+1−αxB, where H(x) is a polynomial and A,B are constants. Since limn→∞ϵn=0, the radius of convergence of the power series in the left hand side is at least 1. While α and αˉ are larger than 1A and B must be zero. Hence ϵn=0 for large n. It follows that (2+3)ns=mn∈Z for large n. It's a contradiction!
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