The Mystery of the 162nd Power
Imagine you are standing before a formidable, towering mountain of a problem. You are asked to find the sum of the 162nd power of the roots of the equation x3−2x2+2x−1=0.
Your first instinct might be to panic. How could anyone possibly calculate the 162nd power of three roots?
But here is the secret of JEE Advanced: the problem is not a test of your endurance; it is a test of your vision. There is a hidden symmetry waiting to be uncovered.
The Art of Factoring
Let us look at the equation again: x3−2x2+2x−1=0. If we stare at it long enough, we see a pattern.
Let us group the terms: (x3−1)−(2x2−2x)=0.
Now, the magic happens. We know the identity a3−b3=(a−b)(a2+ab+b2). Applying this to the first group, we get (x−1)(x2+x+1).
For the second group, we factor out 2x, giving us −2x(x−1). Suddenly, the path clears.
We have a common factor of (x−1)! Factoring it out, we get (x−1)(x2+x+1−2x)=0, which simplifies beautifully to:
The Beauty of the Complex Plane
We have found our first root: α=1. But what about the other two, β and γ?
They satisfy x2−x+1=0. These are complex roots. Instead of solving for them using the quadratic formula, let us use a clever trick.
Multiply this quadratic by (x+1). This gives us (x+1)(x2−x+1)=0, which is the identity for x3+1=0.
Thus, for these roots, x3=−1. This is a profound realization. These roots lie on the unit circle in the complex plane, and their cubes are −1.
The Final Tally
Now, we return to our goal: α162+β162+γ162. Since α=1, α162=1.
For β and γ, we use the property x3=−1. We can write x162 as (x3)54.
Substituting x3=−1, we get (−1)54. Since 54 is an even number, this becomes 1.
Therefore, β162=1 and γ162=1. Adding them all together:
We have conquered the mountain, not by brute force, but by the elegance of algebra. The final answer is 3.