2008 AIME II Problem 9

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Concepts:complex numberroots of unitygeometric sequence

Difficulty rating: 2840

9.

A particle is located on the coordinate plane at (5,0).(5, 0). Define a move for the particle as a counterclockwise rotation of π/4\pi/4 radians about the origin followed by a translation of 1010 units in the positive xx-direction. Given that the particle's position after 150150 moves is (p,q),(p, q), find the greatest integer less than or equal to p+q.|p| + |q|.

Solution:

Identify the plane with the complex plane, so a move sends zz to ωz+10\omega z + 10 with ω=eiπ/4.\omega = e^{i\pi/4}. Starting from z0=5z_0 = 5 and iterating, z150=5ω150+10(ω149+ω148++ω+1).z_{150} = 5\omega^{150} + 10\left(\omega^{149} + \omega^{148} + \cdots + \omega + 1\right).

Since ω8=1\omega^8 = 1 and 150=818+6,150 = 8 \cdot 18 + 6, we get ω150=ω6=i.\omega^{150} = \omega^6 = -i. In the geometric sum, every block of 88 consecutive powers adds to 0,0, so the 150150 terms reduce to 1+ω++ω5=ω6ω7=i(2222i).1 + \omega + \cdots + \omega^5 = -\omega^6 - \omega^7 = i - \left(\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} - \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}i\right). Therefore z150=5i+10(22+(1+22)i)=52+(5+52)i.z_{150} = -5i + 10\left(-\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} + \left(1 + \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\right)i\right) = -5\sqrt{2} + \left(5 + 5\sqrt{2}\right)i.

Thus p+q=52+5+52=5+10219.14,|p| + |q| = 5\sqrt{2} + 5 + 5\sqrt{2} = 5 + 10\sqrt{2} \approx 19.14, and the greatest integer less than or equal to this is 19.19.

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