2021 AIME II Problem 4

Attempt Problem 4 of the 2021 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 2021 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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

4.

There are real numbers a,b,c,a, b, c, and dd such that 20-20 is a root of x3+ax+bx^3 + ax + b and 21-21 is a root of x3+cx2+d.x^3 + cx^2 + d. These two polynomials share a complex root m+ni,m + \sqrt{n} \cdot i, where mm and nn are positive integers and i=1.i = \sqrt{-1}. Find m+n.m + n.

Answer: 330
Concepts:complex numberVieta’s Formulaspolynomial
Difficulty rating: 2100
Solution:

Both cubics have real coefficients, so their non-real roots come in conjugate pairs: the roots of the first are 20-20 and m±ni,m \pm \sqrt{n}\,i, and the roots of the second are 21-21 and m±ni.m \pm \sqrt{n}\,i.

The first cubic x3+ax+bx^3 + ax + b has no x2x^2 term, so its roots sum to 0:0: 20+2m=0,-20 + 2m = 0, giving m=10.m = 10. The second cubic x3+cx2+dx^3 + cx^2 + d has no xx term, so the sum of pairwise products of its roots is 0:0: (m+ni)(mni)+(21)(2m)=m2+n42m=0, \begin{aligned} &(m + \sqrt{n}\,i)(m - \sqrt{n}\,i) \\ &\quad {}+ (-21)(2m) \\ &= m^2 + n - 42m = 0, \end{aligned} so n=420100=320.n = 420 - 100 = 320. Then m+n=10+320=330.m + n = 10 + 320 = 330.

← Problem 3#3
Full Exam

Problem 4 in Other Years