Blakers 2018 Wsoln
Blakers 2018 Wsoln
2. Cos salad
cos 61◦ cos 62◦ cos 119◦
Evaluate 1 − 1 − · · · 1 − .
cos 1◦ cos 2◦ cos 59◦
Solution. First observe that
cos(60◦ + k ◦ ) cos k ◦ − cos(60◦ + k ◦ )
1− =
cos k ◦ cos k ◦
2 sin 30 sin(30◦ + k ◦ )
◦
=
cos k ◦
sin(30 + k ◦ )
◦
=
cos k ◦
cos(60◦ − k ◦ )
= .
cos k ◦
Hence,
cos 61◦ cos 62◦ cos 119◦ cos 59◦ cos 58◦ cos 1◦
1− 1 − . . . 1 − = · · · ·
cos 1◦ cos 2◦ cos 59◦ cos 1◦ cos 2◦ cos 59◦
=1
2
3. Floating Perth
If the Earth rotated fast enough around its axis, the gravity at a point P of the globe could
be counterbalanced by the vertical component of the centrifugal force at P , so that P would
be in a state of “zero gravity”.
To the closest minute, what would the length of a day be, if Perth were to experience “zero
gravity”?
Assume the Earth is a perfect sphere of radius 6 371 km, g = 9.81 m/s2 , and Perth is at
latitude 31.9505◦ S.
Solution. For Perth to be at zero gravity, it is necessary that the weight mg of a body of
mass m is compensated by the vertical component of the centrifugal force,
mv 2
· cos λ,
r
where λ is the latitude of Perth, r is the distance from Perth to the rotational axis of the
Earth, and
2πr
v= ,
T
is the velocity. Here T is the period of rotation of the Earth (otherwise known as a day).
Since r = R cos λ, where R is the radius of the Earth, we have
mv 2
mg = · cos λ
r
m 2πr 2
= · · cos λ
r T
2π 2
=m· · r · cos λ
T
2π 2
=m· · R · cos2 λ
T
2 R
∴ T 2 = 2π cos λ ·
g
p
T = 2π cos λ R/g
s
6 371 × 103 m
≈ 2π cos(31.9505◦ )
9.81 m/s2
≈ 4296.4 s
≈ 71.6 min
Thus, Perth would be a point of zero gravity, if the Earth’s day was about 72 minutes.
4. Two spheres
In R3 , let S be a sphere of radius 1 and let S 0 be a sphere of radius r passing through the
centre of S.
For which value(s) of r is the area of the intersection of S 0 with the interior of S a maximum?
3
Solution. Denote by A(r) the area of the intersection of S 0 with the interior of S, and by
O, resp. O0 , the centre of S, resp. S 0 .
Note first that if r ≤ 21 , then the whole sphere S 0 is inside S, so A(r) is just the area of S 0 ,
that is, A(r) = 4πr2 . The maximum value in that case is when r = 12 , where A(r) = π.
Assume now that r > 21 , so that S and S 0 intersect in a circle. Let P be a point on this
circle and α be the angle between O0 O and O0 P . Taking O0 as the origin and O = (0, 0, r), a
parameterisation for the intersection of S 0 with the interior of S is
{(r sin ϕ cos θ, r sin ϕ sin θ, r cos ϕ) | θ ∈ [0, π], ϕ ∈ [0, α]}.
= 2πr2 sin ϕ dϕ
0
= 2πr2 (1 − cos α).
Using the Cosine Rule in triangle O0 OP , we get that 1 = r2 + r2 − 2r2 cos α = 2r2 (1 − cos α).
Therefore A(r) = π.
Thus A(r) is maximal for all r ≥ 12 .
5. Functionally composed
f 1 (x) = f (x) and f n (x) = f f n−1 (x) , for all integers n > 1.
For instance, f 2 (x) = f f (x) and f 3 (x) = f f f (x) .
If f (x) = x2 + 10x + 20, what are all the real solutions of the equation f 100 (x) = 0?
n
Solution. First, we prove by induction the claim that f n (x) = (x + 5)2 − 5.
The claim holds for n = 1, since f (x) = f 1 (x) = x2 + 10x + 20 = (x + 5)2 − 5.
n−1
Now, suppose the claim holds for n − 1, that is, f n−1 (x) = (x + 5)2 − 5. Then
6. Fractal covering
Take a square S. Inscribe within S a circle D, i.e. D is tangent to all four sides of S. Next
we draw in each of the four corners of S, a circle tangent to D and to the two sides forming
that corner. We continue in this way, infinitely many times: at each step drawing four circles
(one in each corner) tangent to the circle drawn in that corner at the previous step and to
the two sides forming that corner of S.
What is the ratio of the total area of all the circles we have drawn with the area of S?
Solution. The obvious approach is to calculate the area of all the discs, sum them up and
determine the limit to which the sum converges. We can avoid such calculations, reasoning
as follows.
Since the ratio of two areas does not depend on the unit of length chosen, we can assumed
that the disk D has radius 1, and so S has area 4. Let P be a vertex of the square S, D0 the
tangent disc to D and both sides of S from P , O the centre of D, O0 the centre of D0 , T the
point of tangency
√ and D0 , and r the radius of D0 . Since |OP | = |OT | + |T O0 | + |O0 P |,
of D √
we have 2 = 1 + r + r 2, and so we obtain
√
2−1
r=√
2+1
√
= ( 2 − 1)2
√
=3−2 2
Denote by ∆ the union of all the discs and by Γ (resp. Γ0 ) the square whose two opposite
vertices are O and P (resp. O0 and P ). By a symmetry argument, the problem posed is
equivalent to calculating the area A of ∆ ∩ Γ. If A0 denotes the area of ∆ ∩ Γ0 , then A =
A0 + 41 π + 43 πr2 , the last two terms being the area of a quarter of the disc D and the area of
three quarters of the disc D0 . But ∆ ∩ Γ0 is nothing more than the image of ∆ ∩ Γ under an
homothety with centre P and ratio r. So A0 = Ar2 . Therefore,
π
A = Ar2 + (1 + 3r2 )
4
π
(1 − r )A = (1 + 3r2 )
2
4
π 1 + 3r2
A= ·
4 1 − r2
√ √
Substituting, r = 3 − 2 2, after some calculation, we finally obtain A = π8 (3 2 − 2) =
0.88068 . . . .
7. Prime triangle
An evil wizard has seized 3 logicians Alice, Brian and Cathy, to whom he has administered
a powerful sleeping potion. On their awakening, he announces to them that he has written
a prime number on each of their foreheads, and that these 3 numbers (not necessarily
distinct) are the lengths of the sides of a triangle whose perimeter is also a prime number.
Each logician can see the number on the foreheads of the other two, but cannot see the
number on their own forehead. With a sardonic smile, the wizard announces that he will
release the first logician who guesses the number on their own forehead correctly. Alice sees
a 5 on Brian’s forehead and a 7 on Cathy’s forehead. After a long time, during which the
logicians all remain silent, Alice announces that she has deduced the number written on her
own forehead.
What is Alice’s number and how did she reason?
5
8. Random complex
We pick at random two distinct complex roots z and z 0 among the 2018 roots of the equation
z 2018 = 1. p √
What is the probability that |z + z 0 | ≥ 2 + 3?
Solution. In the complex plane, the roots of z 2018 = 1 are the vertices of a regular 2018-gon
centred at 0: they are zk = ei2kπ/2018 = eikπ/1009 , for integer k satisfying −1008 ≤ k ≤ 1009.
The modulus of the sum of two vertices z and z 0 is invariant under rotations centred at 0
(in particular under the rotation centred at 0 mapping z 0 to 1. Thanks to this symmetry
argument, the problem is therefore equivalent to calculating the probability that |z + 1| ≥
p √
2 + 3, for z = cos θ + i sin θ chosen randomly from among the 2017 roots not equal to 1.
Now,
√
q
2 + 3 ≤ |z + 1|
√
⇐⇒ 2 + 3 ≤ |z + 1|2
= | cos θ + 1 + i sin θ|2
= (cos θ + 1)2 + sin2 θ
= 2 + 2 cos θ
√
3
⇐⇒ ≤ cos θ
2
π
⇐⇒ |θ| ≤ .
6
Thus z = zk 6= 1 and |θ| ≤ π/6 implies
π π
0 6= |θ| = |k| ≤ ,
1009 6
which implies 1 ≤ |k| ≤ b1009/6c = 168. Thus 2 · 168 = 336 of the 2017 roots zk that
p √
are not equal to 1, are such that |zk + 1| ≥ 2 + 3. Thus the required probability is
336/2017 = 0.16658 . . . .
6
9. Coincidentally
Given a tetrahedron T in R3 , let S be the centre of the inscribed sphere, S 0 the centre of the
circumscribed sphere, and G the centroid of T . Recall that, if A, B, C, D are the vertices of
T , then the centroid G of T , is the point for which
−→ −−→ −→ −−→ → −
GA + GB + GC + GD = 0 .
Is it necessarily true, that if S, S 0 and G coincide, then all the edges of T have the same
length, so that T is a regular tetrahedron?
Solution. If the centres of the inscribed and circumscribed spheres of a tetrahedron T co-
incide, it is not necessary for T to be regular. Here is an infinite family of counterexamples.
Let a, b, c be three positive real numbers and suppose the vertices of the tetrahedon
T are (a, b, c), (a, −b, −c), (−a, b, −c), (−a, −b, c) in R3 . Observe that the pairs of
opposite edges of T all have the same length, and T is only regular if a = b = c.
We will prove that, for each member of this infinite family, the points S, S 0 and G of T
coincide. Here is a very simple symmetry argument that allows us to avoid all calculations.
Each of the 180◦ rotations about the x-, y- and z- axes preserves all four vertices of T . The
points S, S 0 and G of T are determined by the data of the vertices of T , and hence are
necessarily fixed by each of these rotations, and so they all coincide with the origin 0 of R3 .
Thus, it is not necessarily true, that if S, S 0 and G coincide, then all the edges of T have the
same length.
q4
PH =
1 − (p + p2 )(q + q 2 + q 3 )
(p + p2 )q 4
PT =
1 − (p + p2 )(q + q 2 + q 3 )
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