Day 2 Transcript

Preston Hu
July 23, 2025

§1 Optimization and Rational Equations

I don’t actually know what this function looks like, but let’s say it looks something like this on the
interval [0, 12 ]. If it looks something like this, the value of 16 , which is around here, clearly y = 16 is
going to intersect it. So it becomes pretty clear that the value of 16 can be attained. Now that we’ve
confirmed that this value works, we are sure that this is actually the maximum possible value.
Any questions? Great. Let’s move on to the next problem.
This becomes a bit complicated. We’re given an equation:
1 2 4 5
+ + + = x2 − 3x − 4
x−1 x−2 x−4 x−5

Find the largest real solution.

First, we notice that on the left-hand side, the numerator sort of matches the denominator of each
fraction. How can we use this in our favor? We want to try to manipulate this expression into
something easy to work with, and this observation actually proves to be pretty valuable.
How do they match? Well, numerator plus denominator, when you actually add them, they all
equal to x. Because 1 + (x − 1) = x, 2 + (x − 2) = x, and so on.
What can we do with this information? Is there something we can do to this equation that uses the
fact that the numerator and the denominator sum to x? What if we added 1 to each fraction?

1 x−1 1 x
1+ = + =
x−1 x−1 x−1 x−1

We can actually add 1 to each of these fractions, so we add 4 in total. Then:

 
1 1 1 1
x + + + = x2 − 3x − 4 + 4
x−1 x−2 x−4 x−5

Since all the numerators are x, we can factor out the x:

 
1 1 1 1
x + + + = x2 − 3x
x−1 x−2 x−4 x−5

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Preston Hu (July 23, 2025) Day 2 Transcript

Assuming x ̸= 0 (which, if you actually plug it in, clearly it isn’t - we’re looking for the maximum
solution, so it probably isn’t going to be zero), we can divide both sides by x:
1 1 1 1
+ + + =x−3
x−1 x−2 x−4 x−5

We make another observation here. The denominators of the left-hand side are x − 1, x − 2, x − 4,
and x − 5. What’s missing from them? x − 3 is missing from them. x − 3 is actually on the
right-hand side.
x − 3 is kind of like a middle value for the denominators, so what if we set y = x − 3? This gives us
a lot of symmetry. When y = x − 3: x − 1 = y + 2, x − 2 = y + 1, x − 4 = y − 1, x − 5 = y − 2.
So we can take advantage of this symmetry:
1 1 1 1
+ + + =y
y+2 y+1 y−1 y−2

We notice there’s a y + 2 and y − 2, and a y + 1 and y − 1. What if we combine these together?

1 1 1 1
+ + + =y
y+2 y−2 y+1 y−1

2y 2y
Finding common denominators: y 2 −4
+ y 2 −1
=y
2 2
Since both sides are multiples of y, assuming y ̸= 0: y 2 −4
+ y 2 −1
=1
Combining the denominators:

2(y 2 − 1) + 2(y 2 − 4) = (y 2 − 4)(y 2 − 1) (1)

2 2 4 2
2y − 2 + 2y − 8 = y − 5y + 4 (2)
4y 2 − 10 = y 4 − 5y 2 + 4 (3)
4 2
0 = y − 9y + 14 (4)
2 2
0 = (y − 7)(y − 2) (5)

So either y 2 = 7 or y 2 = 2.
√ √ √ √
If y 2 = 7, then y = ± 7, so x = 3 ± 7. If y 2 = 2, then y = ± 2, so x = 3 ± 2.
√
If we’re looking for the maximum value, 3 + 7 is the maximum value.
We need to check when x = 0 or y = 0, because we divided by x and y. If x = 0: Not a maximum.
If y = 0: x = 3, also not a maximum. So it doesn’t matter that we divided by 0, because even if we
lost a solution, it’s not going to be a maximum.

§2 Symmetric Polynomials and Systems

We’re given: x2 + y 2 = 31 and x3 + y 3 = 154. Maximize x + y.
If you attended the last class, this might be familiar because this is just like when we had roots of a
polynomial and we were trying to find A3 + B 3 + C 3 , or A2 + B 2 + C 2 , using Newton’s sums.

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Preston Hu (July 23, 2025) Day 2 Transcript

This is kind of the same, but with just two variables. Remember the fundamental theorem of
symmetric polynomials? Any symmetric polynomial in n variables can be expressed with the n
elementary symmetric polynomials.
Since x2 + y 2 and x3 + y 3 are both symmetric, what are the elementary symmetric sums in two
variables? They are x + y and xy. So x2 + y 2 and x3 + y 3 are both expressible in terms of x + y
and xy.
Let a = x + y and b = xy.
How do we get x2 + y 2 from a and b?

x2 + y 2 = (x + y)2 − 2xy = a2 − 2b = 31

How do we get x3 + y 3 ?

x3 + y 3 = (x + y)3 − 3xy(x + y) = a3 − 3ab = 154

a2 −31
From the first equation: b = 2

Substituting into the second equation:

a2 − 31
 
3
a − 3a = 154 (6)
2
3a3 − 93a
a3 − = 154 (7)
2
2a3 − 3a3 + 93a = 308 (8)
3
−a + 93a = 308 (9)
a3 − 93a + 308 = 0 (10)

The roots have to be integers since 308 = 4×7×11. Testing values: 43 −93(4)+308 = 64−372+308 =
0. So a = 4 is a solution.
Dividing by (a − 4): a3 − 93a + 308 = (a − 4)(a2 + 4a − 77) = (a − 4)(a − 7)(a + 11)
So a = 4, 7, or −11.
The maximum value is a = 7. We need to verify this actually gives real solutions.
49−31
If a = 7: b = 2 =9
So x + y = 7 and xy = 9. This gives us x2 − 7x + 9 = 0.
The discriminant is 49 − 36 = 13 > 0, so real solutions exist. Therefore, the maximum value of x + y
is 7.

§3 Functions and Graphing

For the second half of class, I’m going to talk about something different. Since we only have 9 days
in total, we can’t be too thorough. Now we’re going to start talking about functions, specifically
the absolute value function.

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Preston Hu (July 23, 2025) Day 2 Transcript

The absolute value function f (x) = |x| is defined as:

(
x if x ≥ 0
f (x) =
−x if x < 0

For example: |3| = 3, | − 3| = 3

The graph looks like a V-shape: on the positive side, it’s y = x; on the negative side, it’s y = −x.
Graphing appears a lot on the AMC, so you want to be familiar with what different graphs look like.
Find x given that |3x + 2| = 5. This tells us that either 3x + 2 = 5 (which gives x = 1) or 3x + 2 = −5
(which gives x = − 73 ).
Solve 3|x| + 2 = 5. This gives us 3|x| = 3, so |x| = 1, so x = ±1. We need to check: both 1 and
−1 work when plugged back in. Remember: The absolute value is never negative, so if you get
|x| = − 73 , that’s impossible.
a b c abc
Find all possible values of: |a| + |b| + |c| + |abc| where a + b + c = 0.
k
Each term has the form |k| , which equals 1 if k > 0 and −1 if k < 0. Let’s examine the signs of a, b,
and c.
If all are positive, this contradicts a + b + c = 0. If two are positive and one negative (example:
a b c abc
a = 2, b = 1, c = −3), then |a| = 1, |b| = 1, |c| = −1, and abc = negative, so |abc| = −1. Total:
1 + 1 + (−1) + (−1) = 0.
a b
If one is positive and two are negative (example: a = 3, b = −1, c = −2), then |a| = 1, |b| = −1,
c abc
|c| = −1, and abc = positive, so |abc| = 1. Total: 1 + (−1) + (−1) + 1 = 0.
If all are negative, this contradicts a + b + c = 0. Therefore, the only possible value is 0.
Graph: |x| + |y| + |x + y| + |x − y| = 6. Find the area enclosed by this graph.
The absolute value function is a piecewise defined function, meaning it can be defined differently on
different intervals. It’s often helpful to examine all possible intervals.
This seems extremely confusing at first. There appear to be many different cases based on different
signs. How can we split the plane into different sections?
Let’s consider a simpler example: |x| + |y| = 1. We can split this into quadrants:
1. x ≥ 0, y ≥ 0: x + y = 1
2. x < 0, y ≥ 0: −x + y = 1
3. x < 0, y < 0: −x − y = 1
4. x ≥ 0, y < 0: x − y = 1
This creates a square.
For our complex problem, we need to consider: |x| splits at x = 0, |y| splits at y = 0, |x + y| splits
at x + y = 0 (line y = −x), |x − y| splits at x − y = 0 (line y = x).
This creates 8 different regions. By symmetry, we can see that the graph forms a regular octagon.

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Preston Hu (July 23, 2025) Day 2 Transcript

§4 Advanced Functions and Problem-Solving

√
Consider the equation: |x − 8| + 4 − x2 = c. This has three solutions in x. Find all possible values
of c.
Graphing gives us a more concrete representation of the number of solutions than analytic methods.
The intervals involved are: x ≥ 8, x < 8 and 4 − x2 ≥ 0 (which means −2 ≤ x ≤ 2), and x < 8 and
4 − x2 < 0.
We need to split the x-axis at the boundaries: x = −2, x = 2, and x = 8.
√
For x ≥ 8: y = (x − 8) + 4 − x2 , but 4 − x2 < 0 for x ≥ 8, so this is undefined.
√ √
For −2 ≤ x ≤ 2: y = −(x − 8) + 4 − x2 = −x + 8 + 4 − x2
√ √
For x < −2: y = −(x − 8) + x2 − 4 = −x + 8 + x2 − 4
√ √
For 2 < x < 8: y = −(x − 8) + x2 − 4 = −x + 8 + x2 − 4
By graphing these piecewise functions, we can see where a horizontal line y = c intersects exactly
three times. This occurs at two specific values: c = 10 and c = 49
4 .

Let me introduce something called the floor function, which also shows up sometimes. The floor
function ⌊x⌋ is the greatest integer which is less than or equal to x.
Equivalently: ⌊x⌋ = x − {fractional part of x}
Examples: ⌊3.14⌋ = 3, ⌊7⌋ = 7, ⌊3.99999⌋ = 3, ⌊−1.5⌋ = −2 (not −1!)
The fractional part of x is always between 0 and 1 (inclusive of 0, exclusive of 1).
Solve: ⌊x3 ⌋ + ⌊x2 ⌋ + ⌊x⌋ = {fractional part of x} − 1
The left-hand side is an integer, since ⌊x3 ⌋, ⌊x2 ⌋, and ⌊x⌋ are all integers by definition. The fractional
part of x is between 0 and 1, so (fractional part of x) −1 is between −1 and 0.
The only integer between −1 and 0 is... well, there isn’t one. So the right-hand side must equal 0,
which means the fractional part of x = 1. But the fractional part is always less than 1, so it must
equal 0.
If the fractional part of x is 0, then x is an integer. If x is an integer, then ⌊x3 ⌋ = x3 , ⌊x2 ⌋ = x2 ,
⌊x⌋ = x.
So our equation becomes: x3 + x2 + x = −1, which gives us x3 + x2 + x + 1 = 0, or (x + 1)(x2 + 1) = 0.
Since x2 + 1 > 0, we get x = −1.
{fractional part of x} 1
Solve: x·⌊x⌋ = 92
x−⌊x⌋ 1
We can write this as: x·⌊x⌋ = 92
92x
Cross-multiplying: 92(x − ⌊x⌋) = x · ⌊x⌋, which gives us ⌊x⌋ = x+92

Since ⌊x⌋ is between x − 1 and x, and this should be close to x, we need to test values systematically.
We also need to consider negative solutions. Testing ⌊x⌋ = −10: x = − 92
10 = −9.2, and ⌊−9.2⌋ = −10.
This works!

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Preston Hu (July 23, 2025) Day 2 Transcript

So x = −9.2 is our solution.

This covers the main types of functions that appear frequently on math competitions. The key
strategies are: use graphical interpretations when possible, look for symmetries and patterns,
consider piecewise definitions carefully, and check boundary conditions and special cases.
For AMC10 prep, I recommend starting mock tests now - maybe once per week, increasing frequency
as the test date approaches. Try not to use too many past AMC10 problems in practice so you
don’t get an unfair advantage during mocks.
Any final questions? Great! I’ll see you guys on Friday. Have a nice day!