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Algebra Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Find the answer

Let aa and bb be complex numbers satisfying the two equations a33ab2=36a^{3}-3ab^{2}=36 and b33ba2=28ib^{3}-3ba^{2}=28i. Let MM be the maximum possible magnitude of aa. Find all aa such that a=M|a|=M.

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

Solution

Notice that (abi)3=a33a2bi3ab2+b3i=(a33ab2)+(b33ba2)i=36+i(28i)=8(a-bi)^{3}=a^{3}-3a^{2}bi-3ab^{2}+b^{3}i=(a^{3}-3ab^{2})+(b^{3}-3ba^{2})i=36+i(28i)=8 so that abi=2+ia-bi=2+i. Additionally (a+bi)3=a3+3a2bi3ab2b3i=(a33ab2)(b33ba2)i=36i(28i)=64(a+bi)^{3}=a^{3}+3a^{2}bi-3ab^{2}-b^{3}i=(a^{3}-3ab^{2})-(b^{3}-3ba^{2})i=36-i(28i)=64. It follows that abi=2ωa-bi=2\omega and a+bi=4ωa+bi=4\omega^{\prime} where ω,ω\omega, \omega^{\prime} are third roots of unity. So a=ω+2ωa=\omega+2\omega^{\prime}. From the triangle inequality aω+2ω=3|a| \leq|\omega|+\left|2\omega^{\prime}\right|=3, with equality when ω\omega and ω\omega^{\prime} point in the same direction (and thus ω=ω\omega=\omega^{\prime} ). It follows that a=3,3ω,3ω2a=3,3\omega, 3\omega^{2}, and so a=3,32+3i32,323i32a=3,-\frac{3}{2}+\frac{3i\sqrt{3}}{2},-\frac{3}{2}-\frac{3i\sqrt{3}}{2}.

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