50 AMC Lectures Problems Book 2 (50) Complex Numbers

282

PROBLEMS

Problem 1: Find the value of a + b if
i i
b
i
a
3 1
5
2 1 1
=

. a and b are real numbers.

.


Problem
3:
(1990 China High School Math Contest) Nonzero complex numbers x and y
satisfy x
2
+ xy + y
2
= 0. Find the value of
1990 1990
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ y x
y
y x
x
.


Problem
4:
(1992 China High School Math Contest) z
1
, z
2
are complex numbers in the
complex plane located at A and B, respectively.
1
z = 4, 0 2 4
2
2 2 1
2
1
= + z z z z . Find the
area of triangle OAB if O is the origin of the complex plane.
(A) 3 8 . (B) 3 4 . (C) 3 6 . (D) 3 12 .


Problem 5: Show that ) ( 2
2 2 2 2 2 2
c b a a c c b b a + + > + + + + + . a, b, c are
nonnegative real numbers.


Problem 6: Find the value of e + e
2
+ e
3
+ e
4
+ e
5
if
5
2
sin
5
2
cos
t t
e i + = .


Problem 7: The equation about x has at least one root whose modulus is 3. x
2
2ax + a
2

4a = 0. What is the real value a?


Problem 8: Nonzero complex numbers o, | are points A and B on the complex plane. If
o
2
2o| + 2|
2
= 0, what is the shape of the triangle AAOB. O is the origin of the
complex plane.

50 AMC Lectures Problems Book 2 (50) Complex Numbers
283

Problem 9: Find the smallest value of
2 1
z z if ai a z + = 5
1
, (a > 5) , and z
2
= 2cos
u + 3isin u.


Problem 10: Find the smallest value of
2 2 2 2
) ( b x c a x y + + + = if a, b, and c are
positive real numbers.


Problem 11: (1957 AMC) If S = i
n
+ i
n
, where 1 = i and n is an integer, then the total
number of possible distinct values for S is:
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4 (E) more than 4


Problem 12:
1
z is a complex number.
1
( 2)(1 ) 1 z i i + = .
1 2
z z is a real number.
2
z is
an imaginary number. The imaginary part of
2
z is 2. Find
2
z .


Problem 13:
(1985 AIME) Find c if a, b and c are positive integers which satisfy c = (a
+ bi)
3
107i, where i
2
= 1.


Problem 14: Find the imaginary number z if i z z 2 = , iz z = .


Problem 15: Raise ( )
8
3 1+ .


Problem 16: (2005 AIME 2) For how many positive integers n less than or equal to 1000
is (sin t + i cos t)
n
= sin nt + i cos nt true for all real t?


Problem 17: Solving . 1 ) ( 2 3 2
2
2
+ = + i z i z


Problem 18: What is the value of the pure imaginary number m if the equation x
2
+ (1 +
2i)x (3m 1)i = 0 about x has real solutions? A.
12
1
B.
12
1
I C.
3
1
D.
3
1
i
50 AMC Lectures Problems Book 2 (50) Complex Numbers
284

SOLUTIONS

Problem 1: Solution:
i i
b
i
a
3 1
5
2 1 1
=

can be written as
2
3 1
5
) 2 1 (
2
) 1 ( i i b i a +
=
+
+
+
.
or i i
b a b a
2
3
2
1
5
2
2 5 2
+ =
|
.
|

\
|
+ +
|
.
|

\
|
+ .
Thus we have

= +
= +
2
3
5
2
2
2
1
5
b
a
b
b
a

Solving we get a = 1, b = 5.
So a + b = 4.

Problem
2:
Solution:
i
i
i
i
3 4
) 2 (
4 3
) 2 1 (
2 2

25
) 3 4 )( 4 3 (
25
) 4 3 )( 4 3 ( i i i i + +

+
= i i
i
25
49
25
7
25
24 7
=

= .

Problem
3:
Solution:
Let y = ex, e = 1.

We substitute the value of y into x
2
+ xy + y
2
= 0:
1 + e + e
2
= 0
Thus (1 e)(1 + e + e
2
) = 0 e
3
= 1.
Therefore

1990 1990
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ y x
y
y x
x
1990 2
1990
1990
1990
1990
) (
1
) 1 ( ) 1 (
1
e
e
e
e
e
+
=
+
+
+
= 1
1 1
2 ) 1 663 3 ( 2
1 663 3
=
+
=
+
=
+
+
e
e
e
e
.

Problem
4:
Solution:
1 1 1 2
) 60 sin 60 (cos 2
2
3
2
1
2 ) 3 1 ( z i z i z i z + =
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ = = .
So OA OB 2 = .
By the law of cosines, OA AB 3 = .
50 AMC Lectures Problems Book 2 (50) Complex Numbers
285

So 3 4 = AB . Then AOAB is a right triangle.
Therefore 3 8
2
1
= = OB OA S .

Problem 5: Solution:
Let bi a z + =
1
, ci b z + =
2
, ai c z + =
3
.
Thus
2 2
1
b a z + = ,
2 2
2
c b z + = ,
2 2
3
a c z + =
Therefore = + + + + +
2 2 2 2 2 2
a c c b b a
3 2 1 3 2 1
z z z z z z + + > + +
= + + + + + = i c b a c b a ) ( ) ( ) ( 2 ) ( ) (
2 2
c b a c b a c b a + + = + + + + + .

Problem 6: Solution:
We are given that
5
2
sin
5
2
cos
t t
e i + = . By DeMoivres Theorem, we have e
5
= 1.
So 1 e
5
= (1 e)(1 + e + e
2
+ e
3
+ e
4
) = 0.
We see that e = 1, and e = 0. So 1 + e + e
2
+ e
3
+ e
4
= 0 (1)
We multiply both sides of (1) by e: e + e
2
+ e
3
+ e
4
+ e
5
= 0.

Problem 7: Solution:
If two roots are real, since the modulus is 3, we have x = 3 or x = 3.
Substituting x = 3 into the original equation: a
2
10a + 9 = 0.
Solving we get a = 9 or a = 1.
Substituting x = 3 into the original equation: a
2
+ 2a + 9 = 0.
This quadratic equation has no real solutions.

If two roots are conjugated imaginary numbers with the modulus 3, we have
A = 4a
2
4(a
2
4a ) = 16 a < 0
So a < 0.
i a a
i a a
x =

= 2
2
) ( 16 2
.
9 3 ) 2 (
2 2 2
2
= = + = a a x
a
2
+ 4(a) 9 = 0.
Solving we get a = 13 2 .
Since a = 13 2 + > 0, it can be ignored.
Therefore a can be 9, 1, and 13 2 .

50 AMC Lectures Problems Book 2 (50) Complex Numbers
286

Problem 8: Solution:
We are given that o
2
2o| + 2|
2
= 0 (1)

Divided both sides of (1) by |
2
:
0 2 2 ) (
2
= +
|
o
|
o
(2)
Solving (2): )
2
sin
4
(cos 2 1
t t
|
o
i i = = .
It indicates that in AAOB, 2 =
OB
OA
,
4
t
= ZAOB .
Applying the law of cosines to AAOB:
4
cos 2
2 2 2
t
+ = OB OA OB OA AB (3)
Substituting 2 =
OB
OA
,
4
t
= ZAOB into (3):
2 2 2 2 2
2
2
2 2 2 OB OB OB OB AB = + = . So AB = OB.
So AAOB is a right isosceles triangle.

Problem 9: Solution:
We know that
2 1
z z is the distance between z
1
and z
2
.
Since ai a z + = 5
1
, we have
5
1
= a x (1)
a y =
1
(2)

Squaring both sides of (1): 5
2
1
= a x (3)
Substituting (2) into (3): 5
2
1 1
+ = x y (x
1
> 0).
So z
1
is a point on the parabola 5
2
1 1
+ = x y .

Since z
2
= 2cos u + 3isin u, we have
u cos 2
2
= x (4)
u sin 3
2
= y (5)

We square (4) and (5):
50 AMC Lectures Problems Book 2 (50) Complex Numbers
287

u
2 2
2
cos 4 = x u
2
2
2
cos
4
=
x
(6)
u
2 2
2
sin 9 = y u
2
2
2
sin
9
=
y
(7)
(6) + (7): 1
9 4
2
2
2
2
= +
y x

So z
2
is a point on the ellipse 1
9 4
2
2
2
2
= +
y x
.

From the figure, we see that the closest two points are (0, 5), (0, 3). So the smallest value
of
2 1
z z is 2.

Problem 10: Solution:
Let z
1
= x + ai, z
2
= (c x) + bi
So
2 2
2 1 2 1
) ( ) ( b a c i b a c z z z z y + + = + + = + > + = .
The equality
2 1 2 1
z z z z y + > + = occurs when arg z
1
= arg z
2
or
x c
b
x
a

=
b a
ac
x
+
= .
So when
b a
ac
x
+
= , y has the smallest value of
2 2
) ( b a c + + .

Problem 11: Solution: (C).
(1) when n = 4k, S = i
4k
+ i
4k
= 2;
(2) when n = 4k + 1, S = i
4k + 1
+ i
(4k + 1)
= 0;
(3) when n = 4k + 2, S = i
4k + 2
+ i
(4k + 2)
= 2;
(4) when n = 4k + 3, S = i
4k + 3
+ i
(4k + 3)
= 0.

Problem 12:
Solution:
1
( 2)(1 ) 1 z i i + =
1
2 z i = .
Let
2
2 , z a i a R = + e , then
1 2
(2 )( 2 ) (2 2) (4 ) z z i a i a a i = + = + + .
Since
1 2
z z R e
2
4 2 z i = + .
Problem 13:
Solution: (198).
First note that one may write c in the form
50 AMC Lectures Problems Book 2 (50) Complex Numbers
288

c = a(a
2
3b
2
) + i[b(3a
2
b
2
) 107]. (1)
From this, in view of the fact that c is real, one may conclude that
b(3a
2
b
2
) = 107. (2)
Since a and b are positive integers, and since 107 is prime, two possible cases arise
from(2):
either b = 107 and 3a
2
b
2
= 1,
or b = 1 and 3a
2
b
2
= 107.

In the first case, 3a
2
= 107
2
+ 1 would follow. But this is impossible, since 107
2
+ 1 is not
a multiple of 3.
In the second case, one finds that a = 6 and hence, in view of (1),
c = a(a
2
3b
2
) = 6(6
2
3 1
2
) = 198.

Problem 14: Solution:
Method 1:
We substitute iz z = into i z z 2 = :
z iz = 2i, or z(1 i) = 2i.
Therefore i
i i
i i
i
i
z + =
+
+
=

= 1
) 1 )( 1 (
) 1 ( 2
1
2
.

Method 2:
Let z = x + yi.
So we have

+ =
= +
). (
, 2 ) ( ) (
yi x i yi x
i yi x yi x

Or

+ =
=
.
, 2 2
xi y yi x
i yi


Solving we get:
x = 1, y = 1. Thus z = 1 + i.

Problem 15:Solution:
( )
(

|
.
|

\
|
+
|
.
|

\
|
=
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
.
|

\
|
= +
3
8
sin
3
8
cos 2
3
sin
3
cos 2 3 1
8
8
8
t t t t
i i
( ) 3 1 2
2
3
2
1
2
7 8
i i + =
|
|
.
|

\
|
+ =

Problem 16: Solution: 250.
50 AMC Lectures Problems Book 2 (50) Complex Numbers
289

Observe that
(sin t + i cos t)
n
= [i(cos t i sin t)]
n
= in(cos nt i sin nt), and that
sin nt + i cos nt = i(cos nt i sin nt).
Thus the given equation is equivalent to i
n
(cos nt i sin nt) = i(cos nt i sin nt).
This is true for all real t when i
n
= i. Thus n must be 1 more than a multiple of 4, so there
are 250 values of n that satisfy the given conditions.

Problem 17: Solution:
The given equation can be written as
2 2
2
) ( 2 1 ) ( 2 3 2 i z i z i z + = + = + .
We know that R i z e + + 1 3 2
2
.
2(z + i)
2
e R
Let z = x i, x e R and x = 0.
So 2(x 3)
2
= 2x
2
1
12
19
= x .
Therefore i z =
12
19
.

Problem 18: Solution: (B).
Let t be the real roots of the equation. m = bi, (b e R, b = 0 ).

Then we have t
2
+ (1 + 2i)t (3bi 1)i = 0 or (t
2
+ t + 3b) + (2t + 1)i = 0.

= +
= + +
0 1 2
0 3
2
t
b t t

=
=

.
2
1
,
12
1
t
b

m =
12
1
i.