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Algebra Difficulty 5.1 AIME, harder Find the answer

An infinite sequence of positive real numbers is defined by a0=1 a_{0}=1 and an+2=6anan+1 a_{n+2}=6 a_{n}-a_{n+1} for n=0,1,2, n=0,1,2, \cdots Find the possible value(s) of a2007 a_{2007} .

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

Solution

The characteristic equation of the linear homogeneous equation is m2+m6=(m+3)(m2)=0 m^{2}+m-6=(m+3)(m-2)=0 with solutions m=3 m=-3 and m=2 m=2 . Hence the general solution is given by an=A(2)n+B(3)n a_{n}=A(2)^{n}+B(-3)^{n} where A A and B B are constants to be determined. Then we have an>0 a_{n}>0 for n0 n \geq 0 , so necessarily B=0 B=0 , and a0=1A=1 a_{0}=1 \Rightarrow A=1 . Therefore, the unique solution to the recurrence is an=2n a_{n}=2^{n} for all n n .

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