2015 AIME I Problem 13

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 13 of the 2015 AIME I, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2015 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:trigonometric identitypairing and grouping

Difficulty rating: 3370

13.

With all angles measured in degrees, the product k=145csc2(2k1)=mn,\prod_{k=1}^{45} \csc^2(2k-1)^\circ = m^n, where mm and nn are integers greater than 1.1. Find m+n.m + n.

Solution:

Let P=sin1sin3sin89P = \sin 1^\circ \sin 3^\circ \cdots \sin 89^\circ and Q=sin2sin4sin88,Q = \sin 2^\circ \sin 4^\circ \cdots \sin 88^\circ, so the desired product is 1P2.\frac{1}{P^2}. Then PQ=k=189sink,PQ = \prod_{k=1}^{89} \sin k^\circ, and multiplying this by itself in reverse order, using sin(90k)=cosk,\sin(90 - k)^\circ = \cos k^\circ, gives P2Q2=k=189sinkcosk.P^2Q^2 = \prod_{k=1}^{89} \sin k^\circ \cos k^\circ.

Multiply by 2892^{89} and use 2sinkcosk=sin2k:2\sin k^\circ \cos k^\circ = \sin 2k^\circ: 289P2Q2=k=189sin2k=(k=144sin2k)(k=4689sin2k)=QQ,2^{89} P^2 Q^2 = \prod_{k=1}^{89} \sin 2k^\circ = \left(\prod_{k=1}^{44} \sin 2k^\circ\right)\left(\prod_{k=46}^{89} \sin 2k^\circ\right) = Q \cdot Q, since sin90=1\sin 90^\circ = 1 and sin(180x)=sinx\sin(180 - x)^\circ = \sin x^\circ turns the second half into QQ as well.

Because Q0,Q \ne 0, it follows that P2=289,P^2 = 2^{-89}, so k=145csc2(2k1)=289.\prod_{k=1}^{45} \csc^2(2k-1)^\circ = 2^{89}. Since 8989 is prime, the only representation mnm^n with m,n>1m, n \gt 1 is m=2,m = 2, n=89,n = 89, and m+n=91.m + n = 91.

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