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Algebra Level 5

For all x C x \in \mathbb C , let S n = x n + 1 x n S_n=x^n+\frac 1 {x^n} .

After removing a number S b S_b from the series ( S 1 + S 2 + + S a ) (S_1+S_2+\ldots+S_a) when Sandeep Bhardwaj, the magician, divides the remaining part with S b , S_b, he somehow always manages to get another series ( S 1 + S 2 + + S c ) (S_1+S_2+\ldots+S_c) as the answer. Now find the value of ( a b c ) (a-b-c) and therefore, decipher his trick.

This is one of my original Madness problems .


The answer is 0.

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2 solutions

汶良 林
Aug 10, 2015

( x n + x n 1 + . . . + x 2 + x + 1 x + 1 x 2 + . . . + 1 x n 1 + 1 x n ) ( x n + 1 + 1 x n + 1 ) (x^{n} + x^{n-1} + ... + x^{2} + x + \frac{1}{x} + \frac{1}{x^{2}} + ... + \frac{1}{x^{n-1}} + \frac{1}{x^{n}})(x^{n+1} + \frac{1}{x^{n+1}})

= x 2 n + 1 + x 2 n + . . . + x n + 2 + x n + . . . + x 2 + x + 1 x + 1 x 2 + 1 x n + . . . + 1 x n + 2 + . . . + 1 x 2 n + 1 x 2 n + 1 = x^{2n+1} + x^{2n} + ... + x^{n+2} + x^{n} + ... + x^{2} + x + \frac{1}{x} + \frac{1}{x^{2}} + \frac{1}{x^{n}} + ... + \frac{1}{x^{n+2}} + ... + \frac{1}{x^{2n}} + \frac{1}{x^{2n+1}}

a = 2 n + 1 , b = n + 1 , c = n a = 2n + 1, b = n+1, c = n

Great solution! But you should improve your wording to make it clearer, such as putting an equal sign

Julian Poon - 5 years, 10 months ago

Try to proof that if a a is even, there would not exist integers b b and c c

Julian Poon - 5 years, 10 months ago

Damn I couldn't get the last ,otherwise I could have bashed the set

Aakash Khandelwal - 5 years, 10 months ago
Michael Lee
Aug 9, 2015

I n = 1 a S n = n = 1 a ( x n + 1 x n ) = n = 1 a x n + n = 1 a ( 1 x ) n = x a + 1 x x 1 + ( 1 / x ) a + 1 ( 1 / x ) ( 1 / x ) 1 = x a + 1 x x 1 + 1 x a x 1 = ( 1 x a ) ( x a + 1 + 1 ) x 1 \begin{aligned} I &\equiv \sum_{n=1}^{a} S_n \\ &= \sum_{n=1}^{a} \left(x^n+\frac{1}{x^n}\right) \\ &= \sum_{n=1}^{a} x^n+\sum_{n=1}^{a} \left(\frac{1}{x}\right)^n \\ &= \frac{x^{a+1}-x}{x-1}+\frac{(1/x)^{a+1}-(1/x)}{(1/x)-1} \\ &= \frac{x^{a+1}-x}{x-1}+\frac{1-x^{-a}}{x-1} \\ &= \frac{(1-x^{-a})(x^{a+1}+1)}{x-1} \end{aligned}

Now...

n = 1 c S n I S b S b ( 1 x c ) ( x c + 1 + 1 ) x 1 ( 1 x a ) ( x a + 1 + 1 ) ( x 1 ) ( x b + x b ) 1 \begin{aligned} \sum_{n=1}^{c} S_n &\equiv \frac{I-S_b}{S_b} \\ \frac{(1-x^{-c})(x^{c+1}+1)}{x-1} &\equiv \frac{(1-x^{-a})(x^{a+1}+1)}{(x-1)(x^b+x^{-b})}-1 \end{aligned}

So, moving everything to one side and multiplying by ( x 1 ) ( x b + x b ) (x-1)(x^b+x^{-b}) ...

( 1 x a ) ( x a + 1 + 1 ) ( x 1 ) ( x b + x b ) ( 1 x c ) ( x c + 1 + 1 ) ( x b + x b ) 0 1 x x a + x a + 1 + x b c + x b c x 1 b + c x 1 + b + c 0 \begin{aligned} (1-x^{-a})(x^{a+1}+1)-(x-1)(x^b+x^{-b})-(1-x^{-c})(x^{c+1}+1)(x^b+x^{-b}) &\equiv 0 \\ 1-x-x^{-a}+x^{a+1}+x^{-b-c}+x^{b-c}-x^{1-b+c}-x^{1+b+c} &\equiv 0 \end{aligned}

As all of our terms have coefficient 1 or -1 and two terms may only be identically opposite if they have the same power, the terms must cancel pairwise. The terms with coefficient 1 are 1 1 , x a + 1 x^{a+1} , x b c x^{-b-c} , and x b c x^{b-c} . The terms with coefficient -1 are x -x , x a -x^{-a} , x b + c + 1 -x^{-b+c+1} , and x b + c + 1 -x^{b+c+1} . We have that b c < 0 -b-c < 0 and a < 0 -a < 0 , while b + c + 1 > 0 b+c+1 > 0 , a + 1 > 0 a+1 > 0 , and (of course) 1 > 0 1 > 0 . We have one term with a positive coefficient and a power of 0 0 . We have only one term with a negative coefficient and a power that is not determined to be either greater or less than 0 0 : x b + c + 1 -x^{-b+c+1} . To cancel the term 1 1 , we must thus have b + c + 1 = 0 -b+c+1 = 0 , or c = b 1 c = b-1 . Thus, b c = 1 > 0 b-c = 1 > 0 . We have only one term with a positive coefficient and a negative power: x b c x^{-b-c} . We have only one term with a negative coefficient and a negative power: x a -x^{-a} . Thus, these two terms must cancel each other, and b c = a -b-c = -a , or a b c = 0 a-b-c = \boxed{0} .

Note that the problem statement does not hold true when x = 1 x = 1 . For x = 1 x = 1 , our identity for the geometric sum is false, and we have n = 1 a S n = 2 a \sum_{n=1}^a S_n = 2a , n = 1 c S n = 2 c \sum_{n=1}^c S_n = 2c , and S b = 2 S_b = 2 , so our equation gives us the solution c = a 1 2 c = \frac{a-1}{2} , which is not valid for even a a . I therefore recommend that you specify that x 1 x \neq 1 , although I assume that most people could figure that out on their own.

No, involving the case when x = 1 x=1 is absolutely no problem. You could have taken an odd a a without violating anything. Your solution involves geometric sum so it says nothing about the case when x = 1. x=1.

Sanjeet Raria - 5 years, 10 months ago

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I read the problem statement as implying that this trick should work for any a a , and that the values of b b and c c were the only ones being chosen by Sandeep.

Michael Lee - 5 years, 10 months ago

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