3

4. We know that the decimal expansion for 17 will begin repeating after
Answer Key 4. 17/101 at most 16 digits. A careful inspection of the given decimal shows that
1. 8 5. 3200 we do need the full 16 digits. We are now instructed to take digits in
1
√ places 1, 3, 9, 27, 81, 243, . . . to create a new decimal. Since every 16th
2. 21 6. 2 ( 3 + 1) digit is the same, this amounts to taking digits 1, 3, 9, 11, 1, 3, . . . from
3. 21/25 7. 42063 the decimal expansion. But as has now become evident, the powers of
3 repeat with period four. Therefore the desired decimal expansion is
1683 17
.168316831683 . . . = = .
9999 101
1. One productive way to find a route is to work backwards from the
The fact that the final fraction reduces so much is intriguing. (But the
ending position. We can’t have moved downwards as our final move,
17 in the numerator is probably a coincidence.) Students with sufficient
since 25 is not a multiple of 3, so we must have moved to the right with
number theory background might consider looking for further examples
a score of 23. By the same reasoning the move before that must also
along these lines. Please share any interesting discoveries with us at
have been to the right, and so forth. One route involving eight moves is
info@mandelbrot.org.
right, left, down, right, left, down, right, right with scores
5. Several slippery computations can be avoided by adopting the strat-
1 → 3 → 2 → 6 → 8 → 7 → 21 → 23 → 25.
egy of adding together the volumes of two complete triangular prisms,
No route uses fewer moves, so 8 moves is the answer. then subtracting out the volume of the square-based pyramid in which
they intersect. Recalling the 5–12–13 right triangle, we quickly deduce
2. We first note that the center point can be joined to any of the vertices that the height of the structure is 12 feet. Hence the overall volume is
of the heptagon, giving 7 ways to begin drawing the
1
segments. For each such segment there are precisely 2 (10)(12)(30) + 12 (10)(12)(30) − 13 (10)(10)(12) = 3600 − 400 = 3200.
three ways to join the remaining six vertices. One way
is shown at left, the second is the mirror image over the 6. We will show in general that if a1 = c, then the value of the infinite
1
segment extending from the center, and the third way sum is c−1 . This can be shown via a telescoping sum. Observe that
involves joining adjacent vertices in pairs around the perimeter. Hence 1 1 1
there are a total of 7 · 3 = 21 ways. − 2 = 2 .
a2n − an (an − an )(a2n − an + 1) an − an + 1
3. A quick sketch reveals that the issue of whether the two circles inter- (Granted, this is a pretty devious step.) Using an+1 = a2n − an + 1, we
sect depends completely upon the distance between their centers. If the deduce that
point used as the center of the circle with radius 3 is at least 2 units away 1 1 1
= − .
an+1 an+1 − 1 (an+1 − 1)an+1
from the center of the circle with radius 5, then the circles will intersect.
Such points comprise the region within the circle of radius 5 but outside But the last denominator can be rewritten as a2n+1 − an+1 = an+2 − 1,
a circle of radius 2 having the same center. Hence the area of this region so
1 1 1
is 25π − 4π = 21π, leading to a probability of 21π/25π = 21/25. = − .
an+1 an+1 − 1 an+2 − 1
Therefore the entire sum becomes January
     
1 1 1 1 1 1
− + − + − + ···,
a1 − 1 a2 − 1 a2 − 1 a3 − 1 a3 − 1 a4 − 1
1
which reduces to just c−1 , where a1 = c. We need c > 1 so that the terms
in the sum become smaller and smaller. (Technically, c < 0 also works.)
√ 1
√
In our case c = 3, so the series converges to √3−1 = 12 ( 3 + 1).

7. Since ξ is a fifth root of unity, we know that ξ 5 = 1, ξ 6 = ξ, and so

forth. Furthermore, the numbers 1, ξ, ξ 2 , ξ 3 and ξ 4 are the five roots of
the polynomial x5 − 1 = 0. Since there is no x4 term, we deduce that
? National Level ?
1 + ξ + ξ 2 + ξ 3 + ξ 4 = 0, which will come in handy shortly.
For the sake of symmetry, we set e = 20 + 13 and instead compute
the sum a3 + b3 + c3 + d3 + e3 . Cubing a = 20ξ 2 + 13ξ gives
Round 2013 Solutions
3 3 6 2 5 2 4 3 3
a = 20 ξ + 3(20 )(13)ξ + 3(20)(13 )ξ + 13 ξ .

The expansions for b3 , c3 , d3 and e3 will be similar, only with different

powers of ξ. Collecting the leading terms (involving 203 ), we obtain

203 (ξ 6 + ξ 12 + ξ 9 + ξ 3 + 1) = 203 (ξ + ξ 2 + ξ 4 + ξ 3 + 1) = 0.

In a similar fashion the terms involving 3(20)(132 ) and 133 also cancel.
However, in each case the coefficient of 3(202 )(13) is 1, leaving us with

a3 + b3 + c3 + d3 + e3 = 5(3)(202 )(13).

Subtracting e3 = 333 from both sides leaves us with the desired sum

a3 + b3 + c3 + d3 = 5(3)(202 )(13) − 333 = 42063.

c Greater Testing Concepts 2012

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