2021 AMC 12B Fall Problem 21

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 21 of the 2021 AMC 12B Fall, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2021 AMC 12B Fall solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:complex numbertrigonometric identity

Difficulty rating: 2420

21.

For real numbers x,x, let P(x)=1+cos(x)+isin(x)cos(2x)isin(2x)+cos(3x)+isin(3x)P(x) = 1 + \cos(x) + i\sin(x) - \cos(2x) - i\sin(2x) + \cos(3x) + i\sin(3x) where i=1.i = \sqrt{-1}. For how many values of xx with 0x<2π0 \le x \lt 2\pi does P(x)=0?P(x) = 0?

00

11

22

33

44

Solution:

Group by Euler's formula: P(x)=1+eixe2ix+e3ix.P(x) = 1 + e^{ix} - e^{2ix} + e^{3ix}. The imaginary part is sinxsin2x+sin3x=(sinx+sin3x)sin2x=sin2x(2cosx1).\sin x - \sin 2x + \sin 3x = (\sin x + \sin 3x) - \sin 2x = \sin 2x(2\cos x - 1).

This vanishes when sin2x=0\sin 2x = 0 (so x=0,π2,π,3π2x = 0, \tfrac{\pi}{2}, \pi, \tfrac{3\pi}{2}) or cosx=12\cos x = \tfrac12 (so x=π3,5π3x = \tfrac{\pi}{3}, \tfrac{5\pi}{3}).

Checking the real part 1+cosxcos2x+cos3x1 + \cos x - \cos 2x + \cos 3x at each of these values gives ±2\pm 2 or 1,1, never 0.0. So no xx makes P(x)=0.P(x) = 0.

Thus, the correct answer is A.

Problem 21 in Other Years