IXth Annual Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament

Saturday 25 February 2006

Calculus Test: Solutions

1. A nonzero polynomial f (x) with real coefficients has the property that f (x) = f 0 (x)f 00 (x).
What is the leading coefficient of f (x)?
1
Answer: 18
Solution: Suppose that the leading term of f (x) is cxn , where c 6= 0. Then the
leading terms of f 0 (x) and of f 00 (x) are cnxn−1 and cn(n − 1)xn−2 , respectively, so
cxn = cnxn−1 · cn(n − 1)xn−2 , which implies that n = (n − 1) + (n − 2), or n = 3, and
1
c = cn · cn(n − 1) = 18c2 , or c = 18 .
ex cos x − 1 − x
2. Compute lim .
x→0 sin(x2 )
Answer: 21
Solution: Let’s compute all the relevant Maclaurin series expansions, up to the
quadratic terms:
1
x cos x = x + . . . , ex cos x = 1 + x + x2 + . . . , sin(x2 ) = x2 + . . . ,
2
so
1 2
ex cos x − 1 − x 2
x + ... 1
lim 2
= lim 2
= .
x→0 sin(x ) x→0 x + . . . 2
3. At time 0, an ant is at (1, 0) and a spider is at (−1, 0). The ant starts walking
counterclockwise along the unit circle, and the spider starts creeping to the right along
the x-axis. It so happens that the ant’s horizontal speed is always half the spider’s.
What will the shortest distance ever between the ant and the spider be?
√
14
Answer: 4
Solution: Picture an instant in time where the ant and spider have x-coordinates a
and s, respectively. If 1 ≤ s ≤ 3, then a ≤ 0, and the distance between the bugs is at
least 1. If s > 3, then, needless to say the distance between the bugs is at least 2. If
−1 ≤ s ≤ 1, then s = 1 − 2a, and the distance between the bugs is
r
p √ (8a − 3)2 + 7
(a − (1 − 2a))2 + (1 − a2 ) = 8a2 − 6a + 2 = ,
8
p
which attains the minimum value of 7/8 when a = 3/8.
∞
X k4
4. Compute .
k=1
k!
Answer: 15e
Solution: Define, for non-negative integers n,
∞
X kn
Sn := ,
k=0
k!

1
 where 00 = 1 when it occurs. Then S0 = e, and, for n ≥ 1,
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ n−1 
kn kn (k + 1)n (k + 1)n−1

X X X X X n−1
Sn = = = = = Si ,
k=0
k! k=1
k! k=0
(k + 1)! k=0
k! i=0
i

so we can compute inductively that S1 = e, S2 = 2e, S3 = 5e, and S4 = 15e.

5. Compute Z 1
dx
√ √
0 x+ 3x

Answer: 5 − 6 ln 2
Solution: Writing x = u6 so that dx = 6u5 du, we have
Z 1 Z 1
dx 6u5 du
√ √ = 3 2
0 x+ 3x 0 u +u
Z 1 3
u du
= 6
u+1
Z0 1  
2 1
= 6 u −u+1− du
0 u+1
!
1
u 3 u2
= 6 − + u − ln |u + 1| = 5 − 6 ln(2)
3 2 0

6. A triangle with vertices at (1003, 0), (1004, 3), and (1005, 1) in the xy-plane is revolved
all the way around the y-axis. Find the volume of the solid thus obtained.
Answer: 5020π
Solution: Let T ⊂ R2 denote the triangle, including its interior. Then T ’s area is
5/2, and its centroid is (1004, 4/3), so
Z
5
x dx dy = · 1004 = 2510.
(x,y)∈T 2

We are interested in the volume

Z
2πx dx dy,
(x,y)∈T

but this is just 2π · 2510 = 5020π.

7. Find all positive real numbers c such that the graph of f : R → R given by f (x) =
x3 − cx has the property that the circle of curvature at any local extremum is centered
at a point on the x-axis.
√
Answer: 23
0 2
p
Solution:
p The equation 0 =
p f (x) = 3x − c has two real roots: ± c/3. Let
00
a := c/3. As f (−a) = −6 c/3 < 0, f has a unique local maximum at x = −a.

2
 Because f has half-turn symmetry about the origin, it suffices to consider this local
extremum. The radius of curvature at any local extremum is
1 1
r(x) = = ,
|f 00 (x)| 6|x|
so the condition in the problem is equivalent to

r(−a) = f (−a)
1
= −a(a2 − c)
6a
1 = 6a2 (c − a2 ) = 2c(2c/3)
√
c = 3/2.

8. Compute
Z π/3
x tan2 (x)dx
0
√ 2
Answer: π 3 3 − π18 − ln 2
Solution: We have
Z π/3 Z π/3  
2 1
x tan (x)dx = x −1 + dx
0 0 cos2 (x)
π/3 π/3
x2
Z
xdx
=− +
2 0 0 cos2 (x)
!
2 π/3 π/3 Z π/3
x dx
=− + x tan(x) − tan(x)dx (u = x; dv = )
2 0 0 0 cos2 (x)
π/3 √
x2 π2 π 3
= − + x tan(x) + ln |cos(x)| =− + − ln(2)
2 0 18 3

9. Compute the sum of all real numbers x such that

2x6 − 3x5 + 3x4 + x3 − 3x2 + 3x − 1 = 0

Answer: − 12
Solution: The carefully worded problem statement suggests that repeated roots
might be involved (not to be double counted), as well as complex roots (not to be
counted). Let P (x) = 2x6 − 3x5 + 3x4 + x3 − 3x2 + 3x − 1. Now, a is a double root of
the polynomial P (x) if and only if P (a) = P 0 (a) = 0. Hence, we consider the system

P (a) = 2a6 − 3a5 + 3a3 + a3 − 3a2 + 3a − 1 = 0

P 0 (a) = 12a5 − 15a4 + 12a3 + 3a2 − 6a + 3 = 0
=⇒ 3a4 + 8a3 − 15a2 + 18a − 7 = 0
37a3 − 57a2 + 57a − 20 = 0
a2 − a + 1 = 0

3
 We have used polynomial long division to deduce that any double root must be a root
of a2 − a + 1! With this information, we can see that P (x) = (x2 − x + 1)2 (2x2 + x − 1).
The real roots are easily computed via the quadratic formula, leading to an answer of
− 12 . In fact the repeated roots were complex.

10. Suppose f and g are differentiable functions such that

xg(f (x))f 0 (g(x))g 0 (x) = f (g(x))g 0 (f (x))f 0 (x)

for all real x. Moreover, f is nonnegative and g is positive. Furthermore,

Z a
e−2a
f (g(x))dx = 1 −
0 2

for all reals a. Given that g(f (0)) = 1, compute the value of g(f (4)).
Answer: e−16 or e116
Solution: Differentiating the given integral with respect to a gives f (g(a)) = e−2a .
Now
d [ln (f (g(x)))] f 0 (g(x))g 0 (x) g 0 (f (x))f 0 (x) d [ln (g(f (x)))]
x =x = =
dx f (g(x)) g(f (x)) dx

where the second equals sign follows from the given. Since ln (f (g(x))) = −2x, we have
2
−x2 +C = ln (g(f (x))), so g(f (x)) = Ke−x . It follows that K = 1 and g(f (4)) = e−16 .