Problem 1501

If $x$ appears in the sequence, the next term $x^{3}-3 x^{2}+3$ is the same if and only if $0=x^{3}-3 x^{2}-x+3=(x-3)(x-1)(x+1)$. Moreover, that next term is strictly larger if $x>3$ and strictly smaller if $x<-1$. It follows that no values of $a_{0}$ with $\left|a_{0}-1\right|>2$ yield $a_{0}=a_{2007}$. Now suppose $a_{0}=a_{2007}$ and write $a_{0}=1+e^{\alpha i}+e^{-\alpha i}$; the values $a_{0}$ we seek will be in bijective correspondence with solutions $\alpha$ where $0 \leq \alpha \leq \pi$. Then $$a_{1}=\left(a_{0}-1\right)^{3}-3 a_{0}+4=e^{3 \alpha i}+3 e^{\alpha i}+3 e^{-\alpha i}+e^{-3 \alpha i}-3 e^{\alpha i}-3 e^{-\alpha i}-3+4=e^{3 \alpha i}+e^{-3 \alpha i}+1$$ and an easy inductive argument gives $a_{2007}=e^{3^{2007} \alpha i}+e^{-3^{2007} \alpha i}+1$. It follows that $a_{0}=a_{2007}$ is equivalent to $\cos (\alpha)=\cos \left(3^{2007} \alpha\right)$. Now, $$\cos \left(3^{2007} \alpha\right)-\cos (\alpha)=2 \sin \left(\left(\frac{3^{2007}+1}{2}\right) \alpha\right) \sin \left(\left(\frac{3^{2007}-1}{2}\right) \alpha\right)$$ so since $\sin (k x)=0$ for a positive integer $k$ if and only if $x$ is a multiple of $\frac{\pi}{k}$, the solutions $\alpha$ are $\left\{0, \frac{2 \pi}{3^{2007}-1}, \frac{4 \pi}{3^{2007}-1}, \ldots, \pi\right\} \cup\left\{0, \frac{2 \pi}{3^{2007}+1}, \ldots, \pi\right\}$. Because our values $k$ are consecutive, these sets overlap only at 0 and $\pi$, so there are $3^{2007}$ distinct $\alpha$.