1996 AIME Problem 11

Attempt Problem 11 of the 1996 AIME below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1996 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.

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11.

Let PP be the product of the roots of z6+z4+z3+z2+1=0z^6+z^4+z^3+z^2+1=0 that have positive imaginary part, and suppose that P=r(cosθ+isinθ),P=r(\cos\theta^\circ+i\sin\theta^\circ), where r>0r>0 and 0θ<360.0\leq\theta<360. Find θ.\theta.

Answer: 276
Concepts:complex numberroots of unityfactoring
Difficulty rating: 2270
Small Hint:

Divide by z3z^3 and set w=z+z1w=z+z^{-1}

Big Hint:

Factor the resulting cubic in ww and identify each value as 2cosϕ2\cos\phi

Solution:

No root is zero. Dividing by z3z^3 and setting w=z+z1w=z+z^{-1} gives w32w+1=0,(w1)(w2+w1)=0.\begin{aligned}w^3-2w+1&=0,\\{}(w-1)(w^2+w-1)&=0.\end{aligned} Its three roots are 1=2cos60,512=2cos72,1+52=2cos144.\begin{aligned}1&=2\cos60^\circ,\\\frac{\sqrt5-1}{2}&=2\cos72^\circ,\\-\frac{1+\sqrt5}{2}&=2\cos144^\circ.\end{aligned} For each value w=2cosϕ,w=2\cos\phi, the corresponding roots of the original equation are eiϕe^{i\phi} and eiϕ.e^{-i\phi}. Thus the roots with positive imaginary part have arguments 60,60^\circ, 72,72^\circ, and 144.144^\circ. Their product has argument 60+72+144=276,60+72+144=276^\circ, so θ=276.\theta=276.

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