2015 AIME II Problem 13

Attempt Problem 13 of the 2015 AIME II 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 2015 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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13.

Define the sequence a1,a2,a3,a_1, a_2, a_3, \ldots by an=k=1nsin(k),a_n = \sum_{k=1}^{n} \sin(k), where kk represents radian measure. Find the index of the 100100th term for which an<0.a_n \lt 0.

Answer: 628
Concepts:trigonometric identitytelescopingfloor and ceiling functions
Difficulty rating: 3270
Solution:

Multiplying each term by 2sin122\sin\frac{1}{2} and using 2sinksin122\sin k \sin\frac{1}{2} =cos(k12)= \cos\left(k - \frac{1}{2}\right) cos(k+12),- \cos\left(k + \frac{1}{2}\right), the sum telescopes: an=cos12cos(n+12)2sin12.a_n = \frac{\cos\frac{1}{2} - \cos\left(n + \frac{1}{2}\right)}{2\sin\frac{1}{2}}.

So an<0a_n \lt 0 exactly when cos(n+12)>cos12,\cos\left(n + \frac{1}{2}\right) \gt \cos\frac{1}{2}, which happens exactly when n+12n + \frac{1}{2} is within 12\frac{1}{2} of a multiple of 2π:2\pi: 2πm12<n+12<2πm+12, \begin{aligned} &2\pi m - \tfrac{1}{2} \lt n + \tfrac{1}{2} \\ &\lt 2\pi m + \tfrac{1}{2}, \end{aligned} i.e. 2πm1<n<2πm.2\pi m - 1 \lt n \lt 2\pi m. Each interval (2πm1,2πm)(2\pi m - 1,\, 2\pi m) has length 11 and contains exactly one integer, namely 2πm.\lfloor 2\pi m \rfloor.

Hence the 100100th negative term has index 200π.\lfloor 200\pi \rfloor. Since 3.14<π<3.145,3.14 \lt \pi \lt 3.145, we have 628<200π<629,628 \lt 200\pi \lt 629, so the index is 628.628.

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