# 1991 AIME Problems/Problem 4

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## Problem

How many real numbers $x^{}_{}$ satisfy the equation $\frac{1}{5}\log_2 x = \sin (5\pi x)$?

## Solution

The range of the sine function is $-1 \le y \le 1$. It is periodic (in this problem) with a period of $\frac{2}{5}$.

Thus, $-1 \le \frac{1}{5} \log_2 x \le 1$, and $-5 \le \log_2 x \le 5$. The solutions for $x$ occur in the domain of $\frac{1}{32} \le x \le 32$. When $x > 1$ the logarithm function returns a positive value; up to $x = 32$ it will pass through the sine curve. There are exactly 10 intersections of five periods (every two integral values of $x$) of the sine curve and another curve that is $< 1$, so there are $\frac{32}{2} \cdot 10 - 6 = 160 - 6 = 154$ values (the subtraction of 6 since all the “intersections” when $x < 1$ must be disregarded). When $y = 0$, there is exactly $1$ touching point between the two functions: $\left(\frac{1}{5},0\right)$. When $y < 0$ or $x < 1$, we can count $4$ more solutions. The solution is $154 + 1 + 4 = \boxed{159}$.

## Solution 2

Notice that the equation is satisfied twice for every sine period (which is $\frac{2}{5}$), except in the sole case when the two equations equate to $0$. In that case, the equation is satisfied twice but only at the one instance when $y=0$. Hence, it is double-counted in our final solution, so we have to subtract it out. We then compute: $32 \cdot \frac{5}{2} \cdot 2 - 1 = \boxed {159}$