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Algebra Difficulty 5.5 AIME, harder Find the answer

Evaluate n=217n2+n+1n4+2n3n22n\sum_{n=2}^{17} \frac{n^{2}+n+1}{n^{4}+2 n^{3}-n^{2}-2 n}.

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

Observe that the denominator n4+2n3n22n=n(n1)(n+1)(n+2)n^{4}+2 n^{3}-n^{2}-2 n=n(n-1)(n+1)(n+2). Thus we can rewrite the fraction as n2n+1n4+2n3n22n=an1+bn+cn+1+dn+2\frac{n^{2}-n+1}{n^{4}+2 n^{3}-n^{2}-2 n}=\frac{a}{n-1}+\frac{b}{n}+\frac{c}{n+1}+\frac{d}{n+2} for some real numbers a,b,ca, b, c, and dd. This method is called partial fractions. Condensing the right hand side as a fraction over n4+2n3n22nn^{4}+2 n^{3}-n^{2}-2 n we get n2n+1=a(n3+3n2+2n)+b(n3+2n2n2)+c(n3+n22n)+d(n3n)n^{2}-n+1=a\left(n^{3}+3 n^{2}+2 n\right)+b\left(n^{3}+2 n^{2}-n-2\right)+c\left(n^{3}+n^{2}-2 n\right)+d\left(n^{3}-n\right). Comparing coefficients of each power of nn we get a+b+c+d=0,3a+2b+c=2,2ab2cd=2a+b+c+d=0,3 a+2 b+c=2,2 a-b-2 c-d=2, and 2b=2-2 b=2. This is a system of 4 equations in 4 variables, and its solution is a=1/2,b=1/2,c=1/2a=1 / 2, b=-1 / 2, c=1 / 2, and d=1/2d=-1 / 2. Thus the summation becomes 12(112+1314+1213+1415+1314+1516++116117+118119)\frac{1}{2}\left(1-\frac{1}{2}+\frac{1}{3}-\frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{4}-\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{3}-\frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{5}-\frac{1}{6}+\cdots+\frac{1}{16}-\frac{1}{17}+\frac{1}{18}-\frac{1}{19}\right). Notice that almost everything cancels to leave us with 12(1+13117119)=592969\frac{1}{2}\left(1+\frac{1}{3}-\frac{1}{17}-\frac{1}{19}\right)=\frac{592}{\mathbf{969}}.

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