CD EXAM and Solutions

Texas A&M High School Math Contest

October 22, 2016

1. Let r be a real number such that

√ 1
3
r+ √
3
= 3.
r
Determine the value of
1
r3 + .
r3
√ 1
Solution. Let u = 3
r+ √
3 r
= 3, v = r + 1r , and w = r3 + 1
r3
. Then v = u3 − 3u = 27 − 9 = 18 and
w = v 3 − 3v = 5778.

Answer. 5778

2. The front tires of a car will wear out after 15,000 miles, while the rear tires will wear out after 25,000 miles.
When should we switch the front and rear tires to maximize the distance we can drive with the car?

Solution. Let x be the distance at which the tires are rotated, front to back. After traveling a distance of y
miles after the rotation, the relative wearing of the tires that were initially at front equals x/15000+y/25000,
whereas the relative wearing of the tires that were initially at rear equals x/25000 + y/15000. The relative
wearings cannot exceed one, so the maximum total distance x + y occurs when the wearings are equal to
each other, hence x = y = 75000/8 = 9375 miles. (This way, the car can travel 18750 miles.)

Answer. 9375 miles

3. We have made a regular triangular pyramid with 120 congruent spheres. How many spheres fit in the basis
of the pyramid?

Solution. The number an of spheres that can fill inside of an equilateral triangle with n balls on each side is
1+2+· · ·+n = n(n+1)/2. We first need to find n such that a1 +a2 +· · ·+an = 1+3+6+· · ·+n(n+1)/2 = 120.
In fact, 1 + 3 + 6 + 10 + 15 + 21 + 28 + 36 = 120, so 36 spheres fit in the basis of the pyramid.

Answer. 36

4. A non-constant real function f satisfies

f (x + y) = f (x) + f (y) − 2f (xy),

for all x, y. Find f (2016).

Solution. It is clear that f (0) = 0 by plugging in x = y = 0. Also, f (x + 1) = f (1) − f (x), so

f (x + 2) = f (1) − (f (1) − f (x)) = f (x), hence f is 2-periodic and f (2016) = f (0) = 0.

Answer. 0
 4x
       
1 2 3 13
5. Find f +f +f + ··· + f , where f (x) = x .
14 14 14 14 4 +2

Solution. First, write f (x) = (1 + 21−2x )−1 , and conclude f (1 − x) = (1 + 22x−1 )−1 . Indeed, simple arith-
metic shows that f (x) + f (1 − x) = 1, hence the sum equals 6(1) + f (7/14) = 6.5.

Answer. Either of the following equal numbers: 13/2, 6.5

6. How many natural numbers n exist such that

1! + 2! + 3! + · · · + n!

is a complete square?

Solution. Simple examination shows that for the n = 1 and n = 3 the sum is a complete square. However,
n > 4 gives a sum whose ones digit is always 3 because 1! + 2! + 3! + 4! = 33 and n! is a multiple of 10 for
n > 4. Therefore, the sum cannot be a complete square for any other values of n than 1 and 3.

Answer. 2

7. An accurate analog clock has been wrongly designed in that its minute and hour hands are indistinguishable
from each other. In the 12-hour period from noon till (but before) midnight, how many moments are there
when it is not possible to immediately tell the time on this clock?

Solution. Let 0 ≤ x, y < 12 denote the coordinates of the hour and minute hands on the clock face,
respectively. Note that time is completely determined by the coordinate x; the coordinate y is just to help
with more accurate reading of the minutes by an enlarging factor of 12. In fact, because the minute hand
moves 12 times faster than the hour hand, we will have y = 12{x}, where {x} = x − [x] is the fractional part
of x. Since the clock and minute hands in the problem are indistinguishable, the clock would look ambiguous
if y 6= x and x = 12{y}, so that time x is just as likely as time y. This means we have to find the number of
solutions of the system
y = 12{x}, x = 12{y}, (y 6= x).
Eliminating y, the equations reduce to x = 12(12x − 12[x]) − 12[12x − 12[x]] = 144x − 12[12x], hence
143
12 x = [12x] = k, where k is a nonnegative integer at most 143. This leads to a parametric solution of
the form x = 12k/143, and a simple verification shows that these are, indeed, all solutions of the reduced
equation provided k ∈ {0, 1, . . . , 142}. Among these 143 moments, there are precisely 11 moments when
the hands coincide (y = x), so there is a total of 143 − 11 = 132 ambiguous moments. The moments when
the two hands coincide may be found by setting x = 12{x}, which gives k = 13[12k/143]. In summary,
the ambiguous moments x = 12k/143 are parametrized by those values of k in {0, 1, . . . , 142} that are not
multiples of 13 (i.e., 0, 13, 26, 39, . . . , 130).

Answer. 132

8. Find all real values of x such that

x q x
√ √
q
4 − 15 + 4 + 15 = 8.
 √ √ p √ x
Solution. Note that (4 − 15)(4 +
15) = 1. Letting a = 4 − 15 implies a + 1/a = 8, or equiv-
√
alently, a2 − 8a + 1 = 0. Therefore, a = 4 ± 15 > 0. It is clear that the only roots of the equation
p √ √
( 4 − 15)x = 4 ± 15 are x = ∓2.

Answer. ±2
√
3
√
3
9. Find the sum of all positive numbers x such that 2+x+ 2 − x is an integer.

√
3
√
3
Solution. Such integer k = 2+x+ 2 − x cannot be zero, and satisfies

[(k 3 − 4)/k]3 = 27(4 − x2 ) < 108.

p
The only integers with this property are k = 1, 2. The corresponding positive value for x is 4 − [(k 3 − 4)/(3k)]3 .

Answer. Either of the following equal numbers:

√ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
5 + 10/ 27, ( 135 + 10)/ 27, 5 + 10/(3 3), (3 15 + 10)/(3 3)
√ √
10. What is the 2016th digit after the decimal point of the number ( 31 + 32)2016 ?

√ √ √ √
Solution. Let k = ( 31 + 32)2016 + ( 31 − 32)2016 . Binomial expansions of both terms reveal the fact
that the odd powers √ cancel,√and the terms
√ with√ even powers√ are all integers, hence
√ k is√a positive integer.
On the other hand, | 31 − 32| = 1/( 31 + 32) < √ 1/(2 31) < 1/10, so 0 < ( 31 − 32)2016 < 10−2016 ,
√ 2016
so all the first 2016 digits after the decimal point of ( 31√− 32)√ are 0’s (but the fraction is nonzero),
hence all the first 2016 digits after the decimal point of ( 31 + 32)2016 are 9’s.

Answer. 9

11. Two points A, B are 4 miles apart, and the midpoint between them is the center of a circular lake of diameter
2 miles. What is the shortest distance for an ant that wants to travel from A to B?

Solution. The shortest distance consists of two congruent line segments that are tangent to the circle
and
√ start from
√ the two points, as well as an arc of the unit circle. The length of each line segment is
2 2
2 − 1 = 3 and the arc is 60 degrees, so its length is π/3.

√
Answer. 2 3 + π/3 miles

12. Find the smallest number k such that the inequality

a+b √
− ab ≤ k |a − b|
2
holds for all positive numbers a, b.

Solution. Define x > 0 such that b = ax2 . Then the inequality reduces to |1 + x2 − 2x| ≤ 2k|1 − x2 |.
Without loss of generality, suppose x 6= 1. Dividing by |x − 1| the inequality reads |x − 1| ≤ 2k|x + 1|.
Geometrically, we are comparing the distances of x to the points ±1 on the x-axis, and since x is larger than
the midpoint 0 between −1 and 1, x will always be closer to 1 than −1, so k = 1/2 will always guarantee
 the inequality. On the other hand, if we choose any number k < 1/2, the inequality will not hold for small
1−2k
(or large) enough x, e.g., any x ∈ (0, 1+2k ) would not satisfy the inequality.

Answer. 1/2

1
13. Solve the equation x3 + x2 + x = − .
3
√
Solution. A√substitution x = 1/y implies y 3 + 3y 2 + 3y + 3 = (y + 1)3 + 2 = 0, so y = −1 − 3
2 and
x = −1/(1 + 3 2).

√
3
√ √
Answer. x = −1/(1 + 2) = (−1 + 3 2 − 3 4)/3

14. A trapezoid ABCD is isosceles, with AD = BC = 2, AB = 4, and ∠ABC = ∠BAD = 120◦ . Let E be the
intersection of the two diagonals. Find the ratio

BE
.
DE

Solution. We have ∠C = ∠D = 180◦ − 120◦ = 60◦ , hence the

vertical projections of the legs AD and BC onto the base CD are
half of their lengths. This means CD = AB + 1 + 1 = 6. Now, the
triangles ABE and CDE are similar, so

BE AB 4 2
= = = .
DE CD 6 3
Answer. Either of the following equal numbers: 4/6, 2/3

15. In a triangle ABC the medians from vertices B and C are perpendicular. If AB = 19 and AC = 22, what
is BC?

Solution. Let those perpendicular medians be BN and CM , and suppose

they intersect at O. By Pythagorean theorem we have
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
M N + BC = ON + OM + OB + OC = BM + CN .

Since M, N are the midpoints of the sides AB, AC, respectively, we have
M N = BC/2, BM = AB/2 = 19/2, and CN = AC/2 = 11. We conclude
2 2
that 5BC /4 = 112 + (19/2)2 , so BC = (222 + 192 )/5 = 169, hence
BC = 13.
Answer. 13

16. A square ABCD is given. A circle with radius AB and center A is drawn. This circle intersects the perpen-
dicular bisector of BC in two points, of which O is the closest to C. Find the value of ∠AOC in degrees.
 Solution. Let the bisector of BC intersect AD at H. In the right triangle
AOH we know AH/AO = AH/AB = 1/2, hence ∠AOH = 30◦ . There-
fore, ∠HOD = 30◦ , by symmetry. Also, ∠OAB = 30◦ because AB k OH
and AO is a transversal. This means in the isosceles triangle OAB, we have
∠BOA = ∠OBA = (180 − 30)/2 = 75◦ , so by symmetry ∠DOC = 75◦ .
Consequently, we have

∠AOC = ∠AOH + ∠HOD + ∠DOC = 30◦ + 30◦ + 75◦ = 135◦ .

Answer. 135 degrees

17. A line segment AB of length 10 is tangent to a circle of radius 10 at the point A. If we rotate the circle
and the tangent line 60 degrees about the center of the circle, what is the area of the region swept out by AB?

Solution. Let O be the center of the circle. By Pythagorean theorem,

2 2
we have OB = OA + AB = 102 + 102 = 200, so B moves along a circle
during the rotation. In a full rotation scenario the region swept by AB
is an annulus with area π(200) − π(100) = 100π. Since the swept area is
proportional to the angle of rotation, the area in questions is 60/360 of the
area of the annulus, i.e., 100π/6.

Answer. Either of the following equal numbers: 100π/6, 50π/3

18. A frog and a grasshopper are 2 meters apart. Each second, the frog moves either 25 cm or 50 cm on the
ground towards the grasshopper, and also the grasshopper jumps either 25 cm or 50 cm towards the frog.
The frog will eat the grasshopper if the two reach each other on the ground. In how many ways can the
grasshopper be eaten by the frog?

Solution. Take 25 cm as the unit of length, so the distance between the frog and grasshopper is 8. Let
fk , gk denote the distance - either 1 or 2 - traveled by the frog and grasshopper from t = k − 1 to t = k
seconds. We want to find the number of solutions of the equation
N
X
fk + gk = 8.
k=1

Because 1 ≤ fk , gk ≤ 2, the only possibilities for N are 2, 3, 4. The cases N = 2, 4 are two extreme cases;
N = 2 happens only if f1 = f2 = g1 = g2 = 2, and N = 4 happens only if f1 = · · · = f4 = g1 = · · · = g4 = 1.
To find the number of solutions for N = 3 we set fk0 = fk − 1, gk0 = gk − 1, so fk0 , gk0 ∈ {0, 1}, and the equation
reduces to
f10 + f20 + f30 + g10 + g20 + g30 = 2.
 This is precisely the number 6-digit binary codes made by two 1’s and four 0’s, which is the binomial coeffi-
6!
cient 4!2! = 15. So the total number of cases in problem is 15 + 1 + 1 = 17 by the rule of sum.

Answer. 17
p √
19. Solve the equation x = a − a + x, where a > 0 is a parameter.

√
Solution.√Note that we must have x ≥ 0 and a + x ≤ a. Squaring both sides of the given equation we get
x2 = a − a + x, hence x2 ≤ a and (a − x2 )2 = a + x, or equivalently,

a2 − a(2x2 + 1) + x4 − x = 0.

Now, solve this quadratic equation for the parameter a. The discriminant is (2x2 +1)2 −4(x4 −x) = (2x+1)2 ,
and since x ≥ 0, we find a = [(2x2 + 1 ± (2x + 1)]/2. The minus 2
√ sign gives a = x − x, which contradicts
2
x ≤ a. The plus 2
√ sign leads to a = x + x + 1, giving x = (−1 ± 4a − 3)/2, so the only nonnegative choice
is x = (−1 + 4a − 3)/2, which occurs if and only if 4a − 3 ≥ 1, if and only if a ≥ 1.

√
Answer. x = (−1 + 4a − 3)/2