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Algebra Difficulty 6.1 National olympiad Find the answer

Jacob starts with some complex number x0x_{0} other than 0 or 1. He repeatedly flips a fair coin. If the nth n^{\text {th }} flip lands heads, he lets xn=1xn1x_{n}=1-x_{n-1}, and if it lands tails he lets xn=1xn1x_{n}=\frac{1}{x_{n-1}}. Over all possible choices of x0x_{0}, what are all possible values of the probability that x2012=x0x_{2012}=x_{0}?

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

Solution

Let f(x)=1x,g(x)=1xf(x)=1-x, g(x)=\frac{1}{x}. Then for any x,f(f(x))=xx, f(f(x))=x and g(g(x))=xg(g(x))=x. Furthermore, f(g(x))=11x,g(f(g(x)))=xx1,f(g(f(g(x))))=11x,g(f(g(f(g(x)))))=1x=f(x)f(g(x))=1-\frac{1}{x}, g(f(g(x)))=\frac{x}{x-1}, f(g(f(g(x))))=\frac{1}{1-x}, g(f(g(f(g(x)))))=1-x=f(x), so for all n,xnn, x_{n} is one of x,1x,11x,xx1,11x,1xx, \frac{1}{x}, 1-\frac{1}{x}, \frac{x}{x-1}, \frac{1}{1-x}, 1-x, and we can understand the coin flipping procedure as moving either left or right with equal probability along this cycle of values. For most xx, all six of these values are distinct. In this case, suppose that we move right RR times and left 2012R2012-R times between x0x_{0} and x2012x_{2012}. For x2012=x0x_{2012}=x_{0}, we need to have that R2012+R0(mod6)R-2012+R \equiv 0(\bmod 6), or R1(mod3)R \equiv 1(\bmod 3). The number of possible ways to return to x0x_{0} is then a=(20121)+(20124)++(20122011)a=\binom{2012}{1}+\binom{2012}{4}+\cdots+\binom{2012}{2011}. Let b=(20120)+(20123)++(20122010)=(20122)+(20125)++(20122012)b=\binom{2012}{0}+\binom{2012}{3}+\cdots+\binom{2012}{2010}=\binom{2012}{2}+\binom{2012}{5}+\cdots+\binom{2012}{2012}. Then we have a+2b=22012a+2 b=2^{2012} and that b=(1+1)2012+(1+ω)2012+(1+ω2)20123b=\frac{(1+1)^{2012}+(1+\omega)^{2012}+\left(1+\omega^{2}\right)^{2012}}{3}, where ω\omega is a primitive third root of unity. It can be seen that 1+ω1+\omega is a primitive sixth root of unity and 1+ω21+\omega^{2} is its inverse, so (1+ω)2012=(1+ω)2=ω(1+\omega)^{2012}=(1+\omega)^{2}=\omega, and similarly (1+ω2)2012=ω2\left(1+\omega^{2}\right)^{2012}=\omega^{2}. Therefore, b=2201213b=\frac{2^{2012}-1}{3}, so a=220122b=22012+23a=2^{2012}-2 b=\frac{2^{2012}+2}{3}, and our desired probability is then a22012=22012+2322012=22011+1322011\frac{a}{2^{2012}}=\frac{2^{2012}+2}{3 \cdot 2^{2012}}=\frac{2^{2011}+1}{3 \cdot 2^{2011}}. For some x0x_{0}, however, the cycle of values can become degenerate. It could be the case that two adjacent values are equal. Let yy be a value that is equal to an adjacent value. Then y=1yy=\frac{1}{y} or y=1yy=1-y, which gives y{1,12}y \in\left\{-1, \frac{1}{2}\right\}. Therefore, this only occurs in the cycle of values 1,2,12,12,2,1-1,2, \frac{1}{2}, \frac{1}{2}, 2,-1. In this case, note that after 2012 steps we will always end up an even number of steps away from our starting point, and each of the numbers occupies two spaces of opposite parity, so we would need to return to our original location, just as if all six numbers were distinct. Therefore in this case we again have that the probability that x2012=x0x_{2012}=x_{0} is 22011+1322011\frac{2^{2011}+1}{3 \cdot 2^{2011}}. It is also possible that two numbers two apart on the cycle are equal. For this to be the case, let yy be the value such that f(g(y))=yf(g(y))=y. Then 11x=x1-\frac{1}{x}=x, or x1=x2x-1=x^{2}, so x=1±i32x=\frac{1 \pm i \sqrt{3}}{2}. Let ζ=1+i32\zeta=\frac{1+i \sqrt{3}}{2}. Then we get that the cycle of values is ζ,ζˉ,ζ,ζˉ,ζ,ζˉ\zeta, \bar{\zeta}, \zeta, \bar{\zeta}, \zeta, \bar{\zeta}, and since at the end we are always an even number of spaces away from our starting location, the probability that x2012=x0x_{2012}=x_{0} is 1. Finally, we need to consider the possibility that two opposite numbers are equal. In this case we have a yy such that f(g(f(y)))=yf(g(f(y)))=y, or xx1=x\frac{x}{x-1}=x, so x=2x=2. In this case we obtain the same cycle of numbers in the case where two adjacent numbers are equal, and so we again obtain the probability 22011+13.22011\frac{2^{2011}+1}{3.2^{2011}}. Therefore, the only possibilities are 1,22011+13220111, \frac{2^{2011}+1}{3 \cdot 2^{2011}}.

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