2026 AIME II Problem 11

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 11 of the 2026 AIME II, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2026 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:Vieta’s Formulaspolynomialalgebraic manipulation

Difficulty rating: 3060

11.

Find the greatest integer nn such that the cubic polynomial x3n6x2+(n11)x400x^3 - \frac{n}{6}x^2 + (n - 11)x - 400 has roots α2,\alpha^2, β2,\beta^2, and γ2,\gamma^2, where α,\alpha, β,\beta, and γ\gamma are complex numbers, and there are exactly seven different possible values for α+β+γ.\alpha + \beta + \gamma.

Solution:

The roots of the cubic are α2,β2,γ2.\alpha^2, \beta^2, \gamma^2. Fix square roots s1,s2,s3s_1, s_2, s_3 of them; then α+β+γ\alpha + \beta + \gamma ranges over the eight expressions ±s1±s2±s3,\pm s_1 \pm s_2 \pm s_3, which come in four pairs ±v.\pm v. Generically all eight are distinct. A coincidence v(ε)=v(ε)v(\varepsilon) = v(\varepsilon') between choices that are not opposite forces si=±sjs_i = \pm s_j for some ij,i \ne j, which collapses the eight values to at most six. So exactly seven values occur precisely when one choice satisfies ±s1±s2±s3=0\pm s_1 \pm s_2 \pm s_3 = 0 — its opposite is then the same value 00 — and no further degeneracies occur.

That condition is the vanishing of (s1+s2+s3)(s1+s2+s3)(s1s2+s3)(s1+s2s3)=2i<jrirjiri2=4e2e12,(s_1 + s_2 + s_3)(-s_1 + s_2 + s_3)(s_1 - s_2 + s_3)(s_1 + s_2 - s_3) = 2\sum_{i \lt j} r_i r_j - \sum_i r_i^2 = 4e_2 - e_1^2, where ri=si2r_i = s_i^2 are the roots and e1,e2e_1, e_2 their elementary symmetric functions. By Vieta's formulas e1=n6e_1 = \frac{n}{6} and e2=n11,e_2 = n - 11, so n236=4(n11),\frac{n^2}{36} = 4(n - 11), i.e. n2144n+1584=0,n^2 - 144n + 1584 = 0, with roots n=12n = 12 and n=132.n = 132.

For n=132n = 132 the cubic's roots are distinct and nonzero (the constant term is 4000400 \ne 0), so the only coincidence is the value 00 and exactly seven sums occur. The greatest such integer is 132.132.

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