2006 AIME I Problem 12

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Concepts:trigonometric identitysum and difference of cubescasework

Difficulty rating: 2990

12.

Find the sum of the values of xx such that cos33x+cos35x=8cos34xcos3x,\cos^3 3x + \cos^3 5x = 8 \cos^3 4x \cos^3 x, where xx is measured in degrees and 100<x<200.100 \lt x \lt 200.

Solution:

By the product-to-sum identity, 2cos4xcosx=cos5x+cos3x,2 \cos 4x \cos x = \cos 5x + \cos 3x, so the right side is (cos5x+cos3x)3.(\cos 5x + \cos 3x)^3. Setting y=cos3xy = \cos 3x and z=cos5x,z = \cos 5x, the equation becomes y3+z3=(y+z)3,y^3 + z^3 = (y + z)^3, and since (y+z)3y3z3=3yz(y+z),(y+z)^3 - y^3 - z^3 = 3yz(y + z), it holds exactly when cos3x=0,cos5x=0,orcos4xcosx=0.\cos 3x = 0, \qquad \cos 5x = 0, \qquad \text{or} \qquad \cos 4x \cos x = 0.

For 100<x<200100 \lt x \lt 200 in degrees: cos3x=0\cos 3x = 0 gives x=150;x = 150; cos5x=0\cos 5x = 0 gives x=126,x = 126, 162,162, 198;198; cos4x=0\cos 4x = 0 gives x=112.5,x = 112.5, 157.5;157.5; and cosx=0\cos x = 0 gives no solutions in the interval.

The sum is 150+126+162+198+112.5+157.5=906.150 + 126 + 162 + 198 + 112.5 + 157.5 = 906.

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