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.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

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(cos⁡θ∘+isin⁡θ∘),P=r(\cos\theta^\circ+i\sin\theta^\circ), where r>0r>0 and 0≤θ<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+z−1w=z+z^{-1}

Big Hint:

Factor the resulting cubic in ww and identify each value as 2cos⁡ϕ2\cos\phi

Solution:

No root is zero. Dividing by z3z^3 and setting w=z+z−1w=z+z^{-1} gives w3−2w+1=0,(w−1)(w2+w−1)=0.\begin{aligned}w^3-2w+1&=0,\\{}(w-1)(w^2+w-1)&=0.\end{aligned} Its three roots are 1=2cos⁡60∘,5−12=2cos⁡72∘,−1+52=2cos⁡144∘.\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=2cos⁡ϕ,w=2\cos\phi, the corresponding roots of the original equation are eiϕe^{i\phi} and e−iϕ.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.

Problem 10#10
Full Exam

Problem 11 in Other Years