2007 AIME II Problem 12

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12.

The increasing geometric sequence x0,x1,x2,x_0, x_1, x_2, \ldots consists entirely of integral powers of 3.3. Given that n=07log3(xn)=308\sum_{n=0}^{7} \log_3(x_n) = 308 and 56log3(n=07xn)57,56 \le \log_3\left(\sum_{n=0}^{7} x_n\right) \le 57, find log3(x14).\log_3(x_{14}).

Answer: 91
Concepts:geometric sequencelogarithmbounding to limit cases
Difficulty rating: 2650
Solution:

Every term is a power of 33 and the ratio is a quotient of powers of 3,3, so xn=3a+bnx_n = 3^{a + bn} for integers aa and b,b, with b1b \ge 1 since the sequence increases. The first condition gives n=07(a+bn)=8a+28b=308,\sum_{n=0}^{7} (a + bn) = 8a + 28b = 308, i.e. 2a+7b=77.2a + 7b = 77.

For the second condition, x7=3a+7bx_7 = 3^{a+7b} is the largest term, and x7<n=07xn<x7(1+13+19+)=32x7<3x7, \begin{aligned} x_7 &\lt \sum_{n=0}^{7} x_n \\ &\lt x_7\left(1 + \tfrac{1}{3} + \tfrac{1}{9} + \cdots\right) \\ &= \tfrac{3}{2}\,x_7 \lt 3x_7, \end{aligned} so log3(xn)\log_3\left(\sum x_n\right) lies strictly between a+7ba + 7b and a+7b+1.a + 7b + 1. The given bounds then force a+7b=56.a + 7b = 56.

Subtracting from 2a+7b=772a + 7b = 77 yields a=21,a = 21, then b=5.b = 5. Therefore log3(x14)=a+14b=21+70\log_3(x_{14}) = a + 14b = 21 + 70 =91.= 91.

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