Year: 1987
Paper: 1
Question Number: 7
Course: UFM Pure
Section: Complex numbers 2
Difficulty Rating: 1500.0
Difficulty Comparisons: 0
Banger Rating: 1500.0
Banger Comparisons: 0
Sum each of the series
\[
\sin\left(\frac{2\pi}{23}\right)+\sin\left(\frac{6\pi}{23}\right)+\sin\left(\frac{10\pi}{23}\right)+\cdots+\sin\left(\frac{38\pi}{23}\right)+\sin\left(\frac{42\pi}{23}\right)
\]
and
\[
\sin\left(\frac{2\pi}{23}\right)-\sin\left(\frac{6\pi}{23}\right)+\sin\left(\frac{10\pi}{23}\right)-\cdots-\sin\left(\frac{38\pi}{23}\right)+\sin\left(\frac{42\pi}{23}\right),
\]
giving each answer in terms of the tangent of a single angle.
{[}No credit will be given for a numerical answer obtained purely
by use of a calculator.{]}
$\sin x = \frac{e^{ix} - e^{-ix}}{2i}$. Also let $z = e^{ \frac{2\pi i}{23}}$
\begin{align*}
\sum_{k=0}^{10} \sin \l \frac{(4k +2)\pi}{23} \r &= \sum_{k=0}^{10} \textrm{Im} \l \exp\l \frac{(4k +2)\pi i}{23} \r \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l \sum_{k=0}^{10} \exp\l \frac{(4k +2)\pi i}{23} \r \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l e^{ \frac{2\pi i}{23}} \sum_{k=0}^{10} z^{2k} \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l z \l \frac{z^{22}-1}{z^2-1} \r \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l z \l \frac{z^{11}(z^{11}-z^{-11})}{z(z-z^{-1})} \r \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l \frac{z^{11}2i \sin \frac{22 \pi}{23} }{2i \sin \frac{2 \pi}{23}} \r \r \\
&= \frac{\sin \frac{22 \pi}{23}}{\sin \frac{2 \pi}{23}} \textrm{Im} ( z^{11}) \\
&= \frac{\sin^2 \frac{22 \pi}{23}}{\sin \frac{2 \pi}{23}} \\
&= \frac{\sin^2 \frac{\pi}{23}}{2\sin \frac{\pi}{23}\cos \frac{\pi}{23}} \\
&= \frac12 \tan \frac{\pi}{23}
\end{align*}
Similarly,
\begin{align*}
\sum_{k=0}^{10} (-1)^k\sin \l \frac{(4k +2)\pi}{23} \r &= \sum_{k=0}^{10} \textrm{Im} \l (-1)^k\exp\l \frac{(4k +2)\pi i}{23} \r \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l \sum_{k=0}^{10} (-1)^k\exp\l \frac{(4k +2)\pi i}{23} \r \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l e^{ \frac{2\pi i}{23}} \sum_{k=0}^{10} (-1)^kz^{2k} \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l z \l \frac{z^{22}+1}{z^2+1} \r \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l z \l \frac{z^{11}(z^{11}+z^{-11})}{z(z+z^{-1})} \r \r \\
&= \textrm{Im} \l \frac{z^{11}2 \cos \frac{22 \pi}{23} }{2 \cos\frac{2 \pi}{23}} \r \r \\
&= \frac{\cos\frac{22 \pi}{23}}{\cos \frac{2 \pi}{23}} \textrm{Im} ( z^{11}) \\
&= \frac{\cos \frac{22 \pi}{23}\sin \frac{22 \pi}{23}}{\cos\frac{2 \pi}{23}} \\
&= \frac12 \frac{\sin \frac{44 \pi}{23}}{\cos\frac{2 \pi}{23}} \\
&= \frac12 \frac{-\sin \frac{2\pi}{23}}{\cos\frac{2 \pi}{23}} \\
&= -\frac12 \tan \frac{2\pi}{23}
\end{align*}