Difference between revisions of "2016 AIME I Problems/Problem 10"

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==Problem==
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A strictly increasing sequence of positive integers <math>a_1</math>, <math>a_2</math>, <math>a_3</math>, <math>\cdots</math> has the property that for every positive integer <math>k</math>, the subsequence <math>a_{2k-1}</math>, <math>a_{2k}</math>, <math>a_{2k+1}</math> is geometric and the subsequence <math>a_{2k}</math>, <math>a_{2k+1}</math>, <math>a_{2k+2}</math> is arithmetic. Suppose that <math>a_{13} = 2016</math>. Find <math>a_1</math>.
 
A strictly increasing sequence of positive integers <math>a_1</math>, <math>a_2</math>, <math>a_3</math>, <math>\cdots</math> has the property that for every positive integer <math>k</math>, the subsequence <math>a_{2k-1}</math>, <math>a_{2k}</math>, <math>a_{2k+1}</math> is geometric and the subsequence <math>a_{2k}</math>, <math>a_{2k+1}</math>, <math>a_{2k+2}</math> is arithmetic. Suppose that <math>a_{13} = 2016</math>. Find <math>a_1</math>.
  

Revision as of 00:00, 5 March 2016

Problem

A strictly increasing sequence of positive integers $a_1$, $a_2$, $a_3$, $\cdots$ has the property that for every positive integer $k$, the subsequence $a_{2k-1}$, $a_{2k}$, $a_{2k+1}$ is geometric and the subsequence $a_{2k}$, $a_{2k+1}$, $a_{2k+2}$ is arithmetic. Suppose that $a_{13} = 2016$. Find $a_1$.

Solution

We first create a similar sequence where $a_1=1$ and $a_2=2$. Continuing the sequence,

\[1, 2,4,6,9,12,16,20,25,30,36,42,49,\cdots\]

Here we can see a pattern; every second term (starting from the first) is a square, and every second term (starting from the third) is the end of a geometric sequence. Similarly, $a_{13}$ would also need to be the end of a geometric sequence (divisible by a square). We see that $2016$ is $2^5 \cdot 3^2 \cdot 7$, so the squares that would fit in $2016$ are $1^2=1$, $2^2=4$, $3^2=9$, $2^4=16$, $2^2 \cdot 3^2 = 36$, and $2^4 \cdot 3^2 = 144$. By simple inspection $144$ is the only plausible square, since the other squares in the sequence don't have enough elements before them to go all the way back to $a_1$ while still staying as positive integers. $a_{13}=2016=14\cdot 144$, so $a_1=14\cdot 36=\fbox{504}$.

~Iy31n~

See also

2016 AIME I (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 9
Followed by
Problem 11
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
All AIME Problems and Solutions

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