Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament

February 19, 2005

Individual Round: Calculus Subject Test — Solutions

1. Let f (x) = x3 + ax + b, with a 6= b, and suppose the tangent lines to the graph of f at
x = a and x = b are parallel. Find f (1).
Solution: 1
Since f 0 (x) = 3x2 + a, we must have 3a2 + a = 3b2 + a. Then a2 = b2 , and since a 6= b,
a = −b. Thus f (1) = 1 + a + b = 1.
R ∞ cos u R
2. A plane curve is parameterized by x(t) = t u
du and y(t) = t∞ sinu u du for 1 ≤ t ≤
2. What is the length of the curve?
Solution: ln 2
dx dy
By the Second Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, dt
= − cost t and dt
= − sint t . There-
fore, the length of the curve is
v s
Z 2uà ! à !2 Z 2 Z 2
u dx 2 dy cos2 t sin2 t 1
t
+ dt = 2
+ 2 dt = dt = [ln t]21 = ln 2.
1 dt dt 1 t t 1 t

R1 R1
3. Let f : R → RR be a continuous function with 0 f (x)f 0 (x)dx = 0 and 0 f (x)2 f 0 (x)dx =
18. What is 01 f (x)4 f 0 (x)dx?
Solution: 486/5
Z 1 Z f (1)
0 1
0= f (x)f (x)dx = u du = (f (1)2 − f (0)2 ), and
0 f (0) 2
Z 1 Z f (1)
1
18 = f (x)2 f 0 (x)dx = u2 du = (f (1)3 − f (0)3 ).
0 f (0) 3
The first equation implies f (0) = ±f (1). The second equation shows that f (0) 6= f (1),
and in fact 54 = f (1)3 − f (0)3 = 2f (1)3 , so f (1) = 3 and f (0) = −3. Then
Z 1 Z f (1)
4 0 1 1 486
f (x) f (x)dx = u4 du = (f (1)5 − f (0)5 ) = (243 + 243) = .
0 f (0) 5 5 5

4. Let f : R → R be a smooth function such that f 0 (x)2 = f (x)f 00 (x) for all x. Suppose
f (0) = 1 and f (4) (0) = 9. Find all possible values of f 0 (0).
√
Solution: ± 3
Let f 0 (0) = a. Then the equation gives f 00 (0) = a2 . Differentiating the given equation
gives
2f 0 (x)f 00 (x) = f (x)f 000 (x) + f 0 (x)f 00 (x),
or f 0 (x)f 00 (x) = f (x)f 000 (x). Differentiating once more gives

f 0 (x)f 000 (x) + f 00 (x)2 = f (x)f (4) (x) + f 0 (x)f 000 (x)

1
 √
or f 00 (x)2 = f (x)f (4) (x), giving
√
9 = f (4)
(0) = a 4
. Thus a = ± 3. These are indeed
±x 3
both attainable by f (x) = e .
00 0
Alternative Solution: Rewrite the given equation as ff 0 (x) (x)
= ff (x)
(x)
. Integrating both
0 0
sides gives ln f (x) = ln f (x) + C1 , and exponentiating gives f (x) = Cf (x). This has
solution f (x) = AeCx for constants A and C. Since f (0)√= 1, A = 1, and differentiating
we find that C 4 = f (4) (0) = 9, yielding f 0 (0) = C = ± 3.
5. Calculate ³ ´
x
lim+ xx − xx .
x→0

Solution: −1
We first calculate limx→0+ xx : it is just exp(limx→0+ x ln x). But
ln x 1/x
lim+ x ln x = lim+ = lim+ = lim −x = 0
x→0 x→0 1/x x→0 −1/x2 x→0+
x
by L’Hôpital’s
³ x Rule.
´ Therefore limx→0+ xx = 1. Then limx→0+ xx = 01 = 0, so
limx→0+ xx − xx = −1.
6. The graph of r = 2 + cos 2θ and its reflection over the line y = x bound five regions in
the plane. Find the area of the region containing the origin.
Solution: 9π/2 − 8

The original graph is closer to the origin than its reflection for θ ∈ ( π4 , 3π
4
) ∪ ( 5π
4
, 7π
4
),
and the region is symmetric about the origin. Therefore the area we wish to find is
the polar integral
Z 3π Z 3π
4 1 4
4 (2 + cos 2θ)2 dθ = 2 π (4 + 4 cos 2θ + cos2 2θ)dθ
π
4
2 4
Z 3π µ ¶
4 1
= 2 π 4 + 4 cos 2θ + (1 + cos 4θ) dθ
4
2
· ¸ 3π
1 4
= 9θ + 4 sin 2θ + sin 4θ
4 π
4
µ ¶ µ ¶
27π 9π 9π
= −4 − +4 = − 8.
4 4 2

2
7. Two ants, one starting at (−1, 1), the other at (1, 1), walk to the right along the
parabola y = x2 such that their midpoint moves along the line y = 1 with constant
speed 1. When the left ant first hits the line y = 12 , what is its speed?
√
Solution: 3 3 − 3
When the left ant first√ hits the line y = 12 , the right ant
√
hits the line y = 32 . The
left ant is then at (− 22 , 12 ), and the right ant is at ( 26 , 32 ). Let the left ant have
velocity with components vx√and vy , the right√ ant velocity with components wx and
dy vy wy
wy . Since dx = 2x, vx = − 2 and wx = 6. Since the midpoint of the ants moves
at speed 1 along the line y = 1, 12 (vx + wx ) = 1 and 12 (vy + w√y ) = 0. Therefore,
√ √ √ √
2vx = −vy = wy = 6wx = 6(2 − vx ). Solving for vx gives √26+√ 6
2
= 3 − 3. Then
the speed of the left ant is
q q √ √ √
vx2 + vy2 = vx2 + (− 2vx )2 = 3|vx | = 3 3 − 3.

8. If f is a continuous real function such that

g(x − 1) + x − 1 + g(x + 1) + x + 1 ≥ x + g(x) + x,

or g(x − 1) + g(x + 1) ≥ g(x). But now,

g(x + 3) ≥ g(x + 2) − g(x + 1) ≥ −g(x).

Therefore
Z a+6 Z a+3 Z a+6
g(x)dx = g(x)dx + g(x)dx
a a a+3
Z a+3
= (g(x) + g(x + 3))dx ≥ 0.
a

It follows that
Z 2005 333 Z 6n+7
X
g(x) = g(x)dx ≥ 0,
1 n=0 6n+1

so that
Z 2005 Z 2005 Z 2005 " #2005
x2 20052 − 1
f (x)dx = (g(x) + x)dx ≥ x dx = = = 2010012.
1 1 1 2 1
2

Equality holds for f (x) = x.

9. Compute
∞
X 4
.
k=0 (4k)!

Solution: e + 1/e + 2 cos 1

3
 This is the power series
4x4 4x8
4+ + + ···
4! 8!
evaluated at x = 1. But this power series can be written as the sum
à !
x x2 x3 x4 x5 x6 x7
1+ + + + + + + + ···
1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7!
à !
x x2 x3 x4 x5 x6 x7
+ 1− + − + − + − + ···
1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7!
à !
x2 x4 x6
+ 2 1− + − + ···
2! 4! 6!
= ex + e−x + 2 cos x.

It follows that the quantity is e + 1/e + 2 cos 1.

10. Let f : R → R be a smooth function such that f 0 (x) = f (1 − x) for all x and f (0) = 1.
Find f (1).
Solution: sec 1 + tan 1
Differentiating the given equation gives f 00 (x) = −f (x). This has solutions of the form
A cos(x) + B sin(x). Since f (0) = 1, A = 1. Then f 0 (x) = B cos(x) − sin(x) and

f (1 − x) = cos(1 − x) + B sin(1 − x)
= cos 1 cos x + sin 1 sin x + B sin 1 cos x − B cos 1 sin x
= (cos 1 + B sin 1) cos x + (sin 1 − B cos 1) sin x.

Therefore, B = cos 1+B sin 1 and −1 = sin 1−B cos 1, both of which yield as solutions
cos 1 1 + sin 1
B= = = sec 1 + tan 1.
1 − sin 1 cos 1