2008 AIME II Problem 8

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8.

Let a=π/2008.a = \pi/2008. Find the smallest positive integer nn such that 2[cos(a)sin(a)+cos(4a)sin(2a)+cos(9a)sin(3a)++cos(n2a)sin(na)] \begin{aligned} &2[\cos(a)\sin(a) + \cos(4a)\sin(2a) \\ &\quad {}+ \cos(9a)\sin(3a) \\ &\quad {}+ \cdots + \cos(n^2 a)\sin(na)] \end{aligned} is an integer.

Answer: 251
Concepts:trigonometric identitytelescopingdivisibility
Difficulty rating: 2740
Solution:

By the product-to-sum identity, 2cos(k2a)sin(ka)=sin(k2a+ka)sin(k2aka)=sin(k(k+1)a)sin((k1)ka). \begin{aligned} &2\cos(k^2 a)\sin(ka) \\ &= \sin(k^2 a + ka) \\ &\quad {}- \sin(k^2 a - ka) \\ &= \sin(k(k+1)a) \\ &\quad {}- \sin((k-1)k a). \end{aligned} Summing over k=1k = 1 to n,n, the terms telescope, leaving sin(n(n+1)a)=sinn(n+1)π2008.\sin(n(n+1)a) = \sin\frac{n(n+1)\pi}{2008}.

A sine is an integer only when it is 1,-1, 0,0, or 1,1, that is, when its argument is a multiple of π2.\frac{\pi}{2}. So we need n(n+1)2008\frac{n(n+1)}{2008} to be a multiple of 12,\frac{1}{2}, i.e. 1004n(n+1),1004 \mid n(n+1), where 1004=42511004 = 4 \cdot 251 and 251251 is prime.

Since nn and n+1n + 1 are coprime, 251251 must divide one of them, so n250.n \ge 250. For n=250n = 250 the product 250251250 \cdot 251 is not divisible by 4.4. For n=251n = 251 the product 251252251 \cdot 252 is divisible by 4251=1004.4 \cdot 251 = 1004. The smallest such nn is 251.251.

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