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Tartar 4
Tartar 4
Remark 2: For the problem of the cube with vertices on the sphere S2 , one may say that a particular cube
is Q0 having vertices A0 , B0 , . . . , F0 , and that one finds all the other configurations by choosing a rotation
P ∈ SO(3), and considering the cube Q having vertices A = P A0 , B = P B0 , . . . , F = P F0 .
Implicitly, you assumed that there is a probability µ on SO(3) such that, for every point A ∈ S2 , the
image νA of µ by the mapping P 7→ P A is the uniform probability on S2 .
Since SO(3) is a compact (nonAbelian) Lie group (of dimension 3, as a manifold), it has a Haar measure
π (nonzero and unique up to multiplication by a positive constant) invariant by left action of the group, so
that the image of π by the mapping P 7→ R P with R ∈ SO(3) is π; by multiplying π by a suitable positive
constant one obtains a probability µ, and then νA is also the image of µ by the mapping P 7→ R P A, i.e.
νA is invariant by multiplication on the left by R, so that it is the uniform probability of S2 .
Z π/2
dx
√ .
1 + (tan x) 2
0
1
√
Hint: One replaces 2 by any real number r, and one notices that the integral is finite. One makes the
R π/2 R π/2 dy
R π/2 (tan y)r
change of variable x = π2 − y, and one finds Ir = 0 1+(tan dx
x)r = 0 1+(cot y)r = 0 1+(tan y)r dy =
π
R π/2 dy π π
2 − 0 1+(tan y)r = 2 − Ir , so that Ir = 4 .
More generally, for any continuous function f on an interval [a, b], such that f (x)+f (a+b−x) does not vanish
Rb
on [a, b] (or vanishes in such a way that the integral considered exists), one has a f (x)+ff (x) b−a
(a+b−x) dx = 2 ,
by using the change of variable x = a + b − y. The same trick is used for
Putnam 1987-B1: Evaluate Z 4 p
ln(9 − x) dx
p p .
2 ln(9 − x) + ln(x + 3)
p
Hint:
p Defining f by f (x) = log(9 − x) on [2, 4], the symmetry change of variable x = 6 − y gives f (6 − y) =
log(y + 3), so that this is an example analogous to 1980-A3: as f is positive on [2, 4], the integral exists
and is equal to 1, i.e. half the length of the interval.
Your problem 4 (Putnam 1986-A1): Find, with explanation, the maximum value of f (x) = x3 − 3x on the
set of all real numbers x satisfying x4 + 36 ≤ 13x2 .
I had not written a solution before: Because f 0 (x) = 3(x2 − 1), f increases from −∞ to −1 with f (−1) = 2,
decreases from −1 to +1 with f (+1) = −2, and then increases from +1 to +∞. The inequality x4 +36 ≤ 13x2
2 2 13
is equivalent to x2 − 132 ≤ 25 5 13 5 2 13 5 2
4 , i.e. x − 2 ≤ 2 , i.e. 2 − 2 ≤ x ≤ 2 + 2 , or 4 ≤ x ≤ 9, so that the
set on which one wants to maximize f is made up of two intervals, −3 ≤ x ≤ −2 and 2 ≤ x ≤ 3. On the
interval −3 ≤ x ≤ −2, f increases from −18 to −2, while on the interval 2 ≤ x ≤ 3, f increases from +2 to
+18, so that the maximum value is 18.
Your problem 5 (Putnam 1996-A1): Find the least number A such that for any two squares of combined
area 1, a rectangle of area A exists such that the two squares can be packed into that rectangle (without the
interiors of the squares overlapping). You may assume that the sides of the squares will be parallel to the
sides of the rectangle.
Hint: One must have A ≥ a (a + b) whenever a ≥ b > 0 with a2 + b2 = 1. Using a = cos θ and b = sin θ with
2
0 ≤ θ ≤ π/4, A must be the maximum of cos θ (cos θ+sin θ), i.e. 2A is the maximum
√ of 2 cos θ+2 cos θ sin θ =
1 + cos √
2θ + sin 2θ; the maximum is attained for 2θ = π/4, giving 2A = 1 + 2, so that the least value is
A = 1+2 2 .
Your problem 6 (Putnam 1993-A1): The horizontal line y = c intersects the curve y = 2x − x3 in the first
quadrant as in the figure. Find c so that the areas of the two shaded regions are equal.
I had not written q a solution qbefore: If f (x) = 2x − x3 , one has f 0 (x) = 2 − 3x2 , so that f increases from
4√2 √ √
x = 0 until x = 23 , with f 2
3 = 3 3 , and decreases then until x =
√ 2, with f ( 2) = 0. One then takes
√ √
0 < c < 43√23 , so that there are two values a, b with f (a) = f (b) = c and 0 < a < b < 2.
Ra Rb
If I guess correctly what the picture was, one wants to have a c − 0 f (x) dx = a f (x) dx − (b − a) c, i.e.
Rb 4
0
f (x) dx = b c, or b2 − b4 = b (2b − b3 ), and since b 6= 0, one obtains b2 = 34 , so that c = b (2 − b2 ) = 3√
4
3
.