Maths Olympiad Prep

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Problem 258

AMC 10/12, early questions
Algebra Difficulty 4.0 Find the answer

Given the function f(x)=ax2+bx+1f(x)=ax^2+bx+1 with the conditions 1f(1)1-1\leq f(-1) \leq 1 and 2f(2)2-2\leq f(2) \leq 2, determine the range of f(3)f(3).

A number or a short expression. Spacing, $ signs and \frac vs / are all fine.

Official solution

Firstly, we know that f(x)=ax2+bx+1f(x)=ax^2+bx+1.

The conditions can be rewritten as inequalities for f(1)f(-1) and f(2)f(2):
1a(1)2+b(1)+11-1 \leq a(-1)^2 + b(-1) + 1 \leq 1
2a(2)2+b(2)+12-2 \leq a(2)^2 + b(2) + 1 \leq 2

Let's simplify these inequalities:
1. For f(1)f(-1):
1ab+11-1 \leq a - b + 1 \leq 1
This simplifies to:
2ab0-2 \leq a - b \leq 0

2. For f(2)f(2):
24a+2b+12-2 \leq 4a + 2b + 1 \leq 2
This simplifies to:
34a+2b1-3 \leq 4a + 2b \leq 1

Next, we examine both inequalities together. We need to find constraints that satisfy both conditions simultaneously:
{2ab034a+2b1\begin{cases} -2 \leq a - b \leq 0\\ -3 \leq 4a + 2b \leq 1 \end{cases}

We can add these inequalities together by eliminating bb, which gives us:
(2)+(3)(ab)+(4a+2b)0+1(-2) + (-3) \leq (a - b) + (4a + 2b) \leq 0 + 1
55a+b1-5 \leq 5a + b \leq 1

Now, we can add the second inequality from the original set of constraints to obtain a new inequality:
34a+2b1-3 \leq 4a + 2b \leq 1
55a+b1-5 \leq 5a + b \leq 1

Add these two together:
8(5a+b)+(4a+2b)2-8 \leq (5a + b) + (4a + 2b) \leq 2
89a+3b2-8 \leq 9a + 3b \leq 2

Finally, to find the range of f(3)f(3), we plug in x=3x=3 into our function:
f(3)=a(3)2+b(3)+1f(3) = a(3)^2 + b(3) + 1
f(3)=9a+3b+1f(3) = 9a + 3b + 1

Knowing that 89a+3b2-8 \leq 9a + 3b \leq 2, we can find the range for f(3)f(3):
8+19a+3b+12+1-8 + 1 \leq 9a + 3b + 1 \leq 2 + 1
79a+3b+13-7 \leq 9a + 3b + 1 \leq 3

Thus, the range of f(3)f(3) is within the interval [7,3]\boxed{[-7, 3]}.

Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic, difficulty and ordering added by this site.