3rd Vietnam Mathematical Olympiad 1964

1.  Find cos x + cos(x + 2π/3) + cos(x + 4π/3) and sin x + sin(x + 2π/3) + sin(x + 4π/3).
2.  Draw the graph of the functions y = | x2 - 1 | and y = x + | x2 - 1 |. Find the number of roots of the equation x + | x2 - 1 | = k, where k is a real constant.
3.  Let O be a point not in the plane p and A a point in p. For each line in p through A, let H be the foot of the perpendicular from O to the line. Find the locus of H.
4.  Define the sequence of positive integers fn by f0 = 1, f1 = 1, fn+2 = fn+1 + fn. Show that fn = (an+1 - bn+1)/√5, where a, b are real numbers such that a + b = 1, ab = -1 and a > b.  Solutions 1. Using cos(A+B) = cos A cos B - sin A sin B, we have cos(x + 2π/3) = -(1/2) cos x + (√3)/2 sin x, cos(x + 4π/3) = -(1/2) cos x - (√3)/2 sin x. Hence cos x + cos(x + 2π/3) + cos(x + 4π/3) = 0. Similarly, sin(x + 2π/3) = -1/2 sin x + (√3)/2 cos x, sin(x + 4π/3) = -1/2 sin x - (√3)/2 cos x, so sin x + sin(x + 2π/3) + sin(x + 4π/3) = 0. 2. Answer 0 for k < -1 1 for k = -1 2 for -1 < k < 1 3 for k = 1 4 for 1 < k < 5/4 3 for k = 5/4 2 for k > 5/4 It is clear from the graph that there are no roots for k < -1, and one root for k = -1 (namely x = -1). Then for k > -1 there are two roots except for a small interval [1, 1+h]. At k = 1, there are 3 roots (x = -2, 0, 1). The upper bound is at the local maximum between 0 and 1. For such x, y = x + 1 - x2 = 5/4 - (x - 1/2)2, so the local maximum is at 5/4. Thus there are 3 roots at k = 5/4 and 4 roots for k ∈ (1, 5/4). 3. Answer: circle diameter AB, where OB is the normal to p Let B be the foot of the perpendicular from O to p. We claim that the locus is the circle diameter AB. Any line in p through A meets this circle at one other point K (except for the tangent to the circle at A, but in that case A is obviously the foot of the perpendicular from O to the line). Now BK is perpendicular to AK, so OK is also perpendicular to AK, and hence K must be the foot of the perpendicular from O to the line. 4. Put a = (1+√5)/2, b = (1-√5)/2. Then a, b are the roots of x2 - x - 1 = 0 and satisfy a + b = 1, ab = -1. We show by induction that fn = (an+1 - bn+1)/√5. We have f0 = (a-b)/√5 = 1, f1 = (a2-b2)/√5 = (a+1 - b-1)/√5 = 1, so the result is true for n = 0, 1. Finally, suppose fn = (an+1 - bn+1)/√5 and fn+1 = (an+2 - bn+2)/√5. Then fn+2 = fn+1 + fn = (1/√5)(an+1(a+1) - bn+1(b+1) ) = (an+1a2 - bn+1b2)/√5, so the result is true for n+1.

Source: http://321math.blogspot.com

[Read More...]

2nd Vietnam Mathematical Olympiad 1963

1.  A conference has 47 people attending. One woman knows 16 of the men who are attending, another knows 17, and so on up to the last woman who knows all the men who are attending. Find the number of men and women attending the conference.

2.  For what values of m does the equation x2 + (2m + 6)x + 4m + 12 = 0 has two real roots, both of them greater than -2.

3.  Solve the equation sin3x cos 3x + cos3x sin 3x = 3/8.

4.  The tetrahedron SABC has the faces SBC and ABC perpendicular. The three angles at S are all 60o and SB = SC = 1. Find its volume.

5.  The triangle ABC has perimeter p. Find the side length AB and the area S in terms of ∠A, ∠B and p. In particular, find S if p = 23.6, A = 52.7 deg, B = 46 4/15 deg. Solutions 1. Suppose there are m women. Then the last woman knows 15+m men, so 15+2m = 47, so m = 16. Hence there are 31 men and 16 women. 2. Answer: m ≤ -3 For real roots we must have (m+3)2 ≥ 4m+12 or (m-1)(m+3) ≥ 0, so m ≥ 1 or m ≤ -3. If m ≥ 1, then -(2m+6) ≤ -8, so at least one of the roots is < -2. So we must have m ≤ -3. The roots are -(m+3) ±√(m2+2m-3). Now -(m+3) ≥ 0, so -(m+3) + √(m2+2m-3) ≥ 0 > -2. So we need -(m+3) - √(m2+2m-3) > -2, or √(m2+2m-3) < -m-1 = √(m2+2m+1), which is always true. 3. Answer: 7½o + k90o or 37½o + k90o We have sin 3x = 3 sin x - 4 sin3x, cos 3x = 4 cos3x - 3 cos x. So we need 4 sin3x cos3x - 3 sin3x cos x + 3 sin x cos3x - 4 sin3x cos3x = 3/8 or 8 sin x cos x(cos2x - sin2x) = 1, or 4 sin 2x cos 2x = 1 or sin 4x = 1/2. Hence 4x = 30o + k360o or 150o + k360o. So x = 7½o + k90o or 37½o + k90o.

Source: Nguyễn Thị Lan Phương, http://321math.blogspot.com

[Read More...]

1st Vietnam Mathematical Olympiad 1962

1.  Prove that 1/(1/a + 1/b) + 1/(1/c + 1/d) ≤ 1/(1/(a+c) + 1/(b+d) ) for positive reals a, b, c, d.
2.  f(x) = (1 + x)(2 + x2)1/2(3 + x3)1/3. Find f '(-1).
3.  ABCD is a tetrahedron. A' is the foot of the perpendicular from A to the opposite face, and B' is the foot of the perpendicular from B to the opposite face. Show that AA' and BB' intersect iff AB is perpendicular to CD. Do they intersect if AC = AD = BC = BD?
4.  The tetrahedron ABCD has BCD equilateral and AB = AC = AD. The height is h and the angle between ABC and BCD is α. The point X is taken on AB such that the plane XCD is perpendicular to AB. Find the volume of the tetrahedron XBCD.
5.  Solve the equation sin6x + cos6x = 1/4. Solutions 1. A straightforward, if inelegant, approach is to multiply out and expand everything. All terms cancel except four and we are left with 2abcd ≤ a2d2 + b2c2, which is obviously true since (ad - bc)2 ≥ 0.  2. Differentiating gives f '(x) = (2 + x2)1/2(3 + x3)1/3 + terms with factor (1 + x). Hence f '(-1) =31/221/3.  3. Let the ray AB' meet CD at X and the ray BA' meet CD at Y. If AB' and A'B intersect, then X = Y. Let L be the line through A' parallel to CD. Then L is perpendicular to AA'. Hence CD is perpendicular to AA'. Similarly, let L' be the line through B' parallel to CD. Then L' is perpendicular to BB', and hence CD is perpendicular to BB'. So CD is perpendicular to two non-parallel lines in the plane ABX. Hence it is perpendicular to all lines in the plane ABX and, in particular, to AB. Suppose conversely that AB is perpendicular to CD. Consider the plane ABY. CD is perpendicular to AB and to AA', so CD is perpendicular to the plane. Similarly CD is perpendicular to the plane ABX. But it can only be perpendicular to a single plane through AB. Hence X = Y and so AA' and BB' belong to the same plane and therefore meet. 4. Put a = sin2x, b = cos2x. Then a and b are non-negative with sum 1, so we may put a = 1/2 + h, b = 1/2 - h. Then a3 + b3 = 1/4 + 3h2 ≥ 1/4 with equality iff h = 0. Hence x is a solution of the equation given iff sin2x = cos2x = 1/2 or x is an odd multiple of π/4.  Source: Nguyễn Thị Lan Phương, http://321math.blogspot.com

[Read More...]

Why Mathematics is so great?

What's correlation between the structure of the mathematical theory and object structure? My ideas about mathematics:

•  Sign language of mathematically is a system non-contradiction.
•  Mathematical language is a language system form of symbolic.
•  Mathematics is a scientific inference, the type of theoretical knowledge.
•  System of mathematical objects are determined a priori object class but applied mathematics achievement test pilot first.

[Read More...]

Dictionary of Classical and Theoretical Mathematics

Title: Dictionary of Classical and Theoretical Mathematics

Author: Catherine Cavagnaro, William T. Haight, II

Publisher: © 2001 by CRC Press LLC

Price: $58.95

Product Description: http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Classical-Theoretical-Mathematics-Comprehensive/dp/1584880503

[Read More...]

English Vietnamese Mathematics Dictionary

Title: English Vietnamese Mathematics Dictionary

Authors: Chính Đức Phan, Khanh Minh Lê, Lập Tấn Nguyễn, Thịnh Đình Lê, Thúy Công Nguyễn, Văn Bác Nguyễn.

Url: http://vuimahoc.com/english-vietnamese-mathematics-dictionary.pdf

Size: 1.126 KB

[Read More...]

Report on Fundamental Lemma

Title: Report on Fundamental Lemma
Author: Châu Bảo Ngô, School of mathematics, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 08540 USA.
Url: http://www.math.ias.edu/~ngo/cdm.pdf

[Read More...]