How many Integer Solutions?

Geometry Level 4

How many integer solutions are there to x + sin x = x 2 + cos x ? \large \lfloor {x + \sin x} \rfloor = \left\lfloor {x^2 + \cos x} \right\rfloor ? If you think there are infinitely many solutions, then enter 999.

Details and Assumptions:

  • \lfloor \cdot \rfloor denotes the floor function .
  • The angles are measured in radians.

Inspired by Hummus A


The answer is 1.

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3 solutions

Chew-Seong Cheong
Nov 18, 2016

We note that for integer x x : { For x = 0 : sin x = 0 , cos x = 1 For x 0 : 0 < sin x < 1 , 0 < cos x < 1 \quad \begin{cases} \text{For } x = 0: & \sin x = 0, & \cos x = 1 \\ \text{For } x \ne 0: & 0 < |\sin x| < 1, & 0 < |\cos x| < 1 \end{cases}

\implies For x = 0 x = 0 : { x + sin x = 0 x 2 + cos x = 1 \quad \begin{cases} \lfloor x + \sin x \rfloor = 0 \\ \lfloor x^2 + \cos x \rfloor = 1 \end{cases} \implies LHS \ne RHS.

\implies For x 0 x \ne 0 : { x + sin x = { x if sin x > 0 x 1 if sin x < 0 x 2 + cos x = { x 2 if cos x > 0 x 2 1 if cos x < 0 \quad \begin{cases} \lfloor x + \sin x \rfloor = \begin{cases} x & \text{if }\sin x > 0 \\ x-1 & \text{if }\sin x < 0 \end{cases} \\ \lfloor x^2 + \cos x \rfloor = \begin{cases} x^2 & \text{if }\cos x > 0 \\ x^2-1 & \text{if }\cos x < 0 \end{cases} \end{cases}

Let's check the four cases:

  1. x = x 2 x = 1 x = x^2 \implies x = 1 and since sin 1 > 0 \sin 1 > 0 and cos 1 > 0 \cos 1 > 0 , the equality is true .
  2. x = x 2 1 x 2 x 1 = 0 x = x^2 - 1 \implies x^2 - x -1=0 ; there is no integer root.
  3. x 1 = x 2 x 2 x + 1 = 0 x-1 = x^2 \implies x^2 - x + 1 = 0 ; there is no real root.
  4. x 1 = x 2 1 x = x 2 x-1 = x^2 -1 \implies x = x^2 same as case 1.

Therefore, there is only 1 \boxed{1} integer solution, when x = 1 x=1 .

Bob Kadylo
Nov 17, 2016

The only Integer solution is x = 1 x=1 . Therefore, the answer is 1 \boxed {1} .

If x x is allowed to be a Real number, then there are infinitely many solutions.

Outside the interval [ 1 , 3 ] {[-1,3]} the graphs of the LHS and RHS separate widely.

Only integer 1 is 1=1 1 since there is x and x x. So only one solution. Sin(1) will vanish since we talk of floor.

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