More fun in 2016, Part 21

Geometry Level 5

P = k = 1 2016 2 ( 1 + cos ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) ) = ? P= \large\prod_{k=1}^{2016}2\left(1+\cos\left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right)\right) = \, ?


The answer is 4.

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

2 solutions

Chew-Seong Cheong
Jan 10, 2016

k = 1 2016 2 ( 1 + cos ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) ) = 2 2016 k = 1 1008 ( 1 + cos ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) ) 2 Since cos ( ( 2016 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) = cos ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) = 2 2016 k = 1 504 ( 1 cos 2 ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) ) 2 Since cos ( ( 1008 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) = cos ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) = 2 2016 k = 1 504 sin 4 ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) = 2 2016 ( 2 1007 ) 2 = 2 2 = 4 See Note. \displaystyle \prod_{k=1}^{2016} 2\left(1+\cos\left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right) \right) \\ \displaystyle = 2^{2016} \prod_{k=1}^{1008} \left(1+\cos\left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right) \right)^2 \quad \quad \small \color{#3D99F6}{\text{Since }\cos\left(\frac{(2016-2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right) =\cos\left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right)} \\ \displaystyle = 2^{2016} \prod_{k=1}^{504} \left(1-\cos ^2 \left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right) \right)^2 \quad \quad \small \color{#3D99F6}{\text{Since }\cos\left(\frac{(1008-2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right) =- \cos\left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right)} \\ \displaystyle = 2^{2016} \prod_{k=1}^{504} \sin ^4 \left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right) \\ \displaystyle = 2^{2016} \left( 2^{-1007} \right)^2 = 2^2 = \boxed{4} \quad \quad \small \color{#3D99F6}{\text{See Note.}}

\\

Note: \color{#3D99F6}{\text{Note:}}

From the identity (eq. 24 -- T. Drane, pers. comm., Apr. 19, 2006) :

k = 1 2016 sin ( k π n ) = 2 1 n n ( k = 1 504 sin ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) ) 2 = k = 1 1008 sin ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) = k = 1 2015 sin ( k π 2016 ) k = 1 1007 sin ( k π 1008 ) = 2 2015 ˙ 2016 2 1007 ˙ 1008 = 2 1007 \begin{aligned} \prod_{k=1}^{2016} \sin \left(\frac{k \pi}{n}\right)& = 2^{1-n} n \\ \Rightarrow \left( \prod_{k=1}^{504} \sin \left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right) \right)^2 & = \prod_{k=1}^{1008} \sin \left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right) \\ & = \frac{\displaystyle \prod_{k=1}^{2015} \sin \left(\frac{k \pi}{2016}\right)}{\displaystyle\prod_{k=1}^{1007} \sin \left(\frac{k \pi}{1008}\right)} \\& = \frac{2^{-2015}\dot{}2016}{2^{-1007}\dot{}1008} = 2^{-1007} \end{aligned}

This is a great solution indeed, Comrade! (+1) Wonderful use of symmetries! I particularly like the step from the second to the third line, the way you get rid of the summand 1.

Now, how will you handle this problem in 2018? You have two years to think about it ;)

Otto Bretscher - 5 years, 5 months ago

Log in to reply

Thanks for the comments. Are there other ways to solve the product of sines part?

Chew-Seong Cheong - 5 years, 5 months ago

Log in to reply

We can do all this stuff with roots of unity (or negative unity for the odd terms), of course... see my solution.

Otto Bretscher - 5 years, 5 months ago

Log in to reply

@Otto Bretscher From you, I knew it had something to do with roots of unity. Still I could not figure it out yet. Thanks for your solution.

Chew-Seong Cheong - 5 years, 5 months ago

Log in to reply

@Chew-Seong Cheong It's always good to have different solutions. I don't think I could have done it with trigonometry alone; I have never studied that subject much. Being from the country of Euler, we quickly switched to complex numbers.

The work of Comrade Chebyshev is also very useful when studying cosines.

Otto Bretscher - 5 years, 5 months ago
Otto Bretscher
Jan 10, 2016

Comrade Cheong has submitted a delightful solution that uses trigonometry alone. For the sake of variety, let me suggest a solution that makes use of roots of (negative) unity.

Considering the 2016th roots of 1 -1 and grouping them in conjugate pairs, we can write x 2016 + 1 = k = 1 1008 ( x e ( 2 k 1 ) π i 2016 ) ( x e ( 2 k 1 ) π i 2016 ) = k = 1 1008 ( x 2 2 x cos ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) + 1 ) x^{2016}+1=\prod_{k=1}^{1008}\left(x-e^{\frac{(2k-1)\pi i}{2016}}\right)\left(x-e^{-\frac{(2k-1)\pi i}{2016}}\right)=\prod_{k=1}^{1008}\left(x^2-2x\cos\left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right)+1\right)

Evaluating this equation at x = 1 x=-1 gives 2 = k = 1 1008 2 ( 1 + cos ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) ) 2=\prod_{k=1}^{1008}2\left(1+\cos\left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016}\right)\right)

This product comes out the same if we let k k run from 1009 to 2016, by the symmetry cos ( 2 π t ) = cos ( t ) \cos(2\pi-t)=\cos(t) , so that P = 2 2 = 4 P=2^2=\boxed{4}

Alternatively, the result can be obtained quickly from the chebyshev polynomials of the first kind

T n ( x ) = 2 n 1 k = 1 n ( x cos ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2 n ) ) T_n(x)=2^{n-1}\prod_{k=1}^{n}\left(x-\cos\left(\frac{(2k-1)\pi}{2n}\right)\right)

Again, evaluate at x = 1 x=-1 and recall that T n ( 1 ) = ( 1 ) n T_n(-1)=(-1)^n .

Moderator note:

Nice approach with the Chebyshev polynomials

It's much simpler without roots of unity (in my opinion).

Apply one of the double angle identities , 1 + cos ( x ) = 2 cos 2 ( x 2 ) 1 + \cos(x) = 2\cos^2\left( \dfrac x2\right ) , we get

2 ( 1 + cos ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 2016 ) ) = 4 cos 2 ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 4032 ) 2 \left( 1 + \cos \left ( \dfrac{(2k-1)\pi}{2016} \right) \right) = 4 \cos^2 \left( \dfrac{(2k-1)\pi}{4032} \right) The product in question is

4 2016 k = 1 2016 cos 2 ( ( 2 k 1 ) π 4032 ) = 4 2016 [ cos ( π 4032 ) cos ( 3 π 4032 ) cos ( 5 π 4032 ) cos ( 4031 π 4032 ) ] 4^{2016} \prod_{k=1}^{2016} \cos^2 \left( \dfrac{(2k-1)\pi}{4032} \right) = 4^{2016} \cdot \left[ \cos \left( \dfrac{\pi}{4032} \right) \cos \left( \dfrac{3\pi}{4032} \right) \cos \left( \dfrac{5\pi}{4032}\right) \cdots \cos \left( \dfrac{4031\pi}{4032}\right) \right ]

Now consider the chebyshev polynomials of the first kind , for k = 1 , 2 , 3 , , 2016 k=1,2,3,\ldots,2016 , the value of ( 2 k 1 ) π 4032 \dfrac{(2k-1)\pi}{4032} are roots to the equation 0 = cos ( 2016 x ) = 2 2016 1 cos 2016 x + 1 = 0 0 = \cos(2016x) = 2^{2016-1} \cos^{2016} x - \cdots + 1 = 0 .

Then by Vieta's formulas , the answer is

4 2016 ( 1 2 2015 ) 2 = 4 . 4^{2016} \cdot \left(\dfrac1{2^{2015}} \right)^2 = \boxed4 .

Pi Han Goh - 5 years, 5 months ago

Log in to reply

Well, if we are using Chebyshev polynomials, we can get the result directly, by evaluating at x = 1 x=-1 , as I point out in my "alternative solution" ... no trigonometry needed

Otto Bretscher - 5 years, 5 months ago

how i did it(+1).

Aareyan Manzoor - 5 years, 5 months ago

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...