1531 problems found
A train moves westwards on a straight horizontal track with constant acceleration \(a\), where \(a > 0\). Axes are chosen as follows: the origin is fixed in the train; the \(x\)-axis is in the direction of the track with the positive \(x\)-axis pointing to the East; and the positive \(y\)-axis points vertically upwards. A smooth wire is fixed in the train. It lies in the \(x\)--\(y\) plane and is bent in the shape given by \(ky = x^2\), where \(k\) is a positive constant. A small bead is threaded onto the wire. Initially, the bead is held at the origin. It is then released.
A train has \(n\) seats, where \(n \geqslant 2\). For a particular journey, all \(n\) seats have been sold, and each of the \(n\) passengers has been allocated a seat. The passengers arrive one at a time and are labelled \(T_1, \ldots, T_n\) according to the order in which they arrive: \(T_1\) arrives first and \(T_n\) arrives last. The seat allocated to \(T_r\) (\(r = 1, \ldots, n\)) is labelled \(S_r\). Passenger \(T_1\) ignores their allocation and decides to choose a seat at random (each of the \(n\) seats being equally likely). However, for each \(r \geqslant 2\), passenger \(T_r\) sits in \(S_r\) if it is available or, if \(S_r\) is not available, chooses from the available seats at random.
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Solution: \begin{questionparts} \item \(\,\) \begin{align*} && I_n &= \int_0^{\beta} (\sec x + \tan x)^n \, \d x \\ && \tfrac12(I_{n+1}+I_{n-1}) &= \tfrac12\int_0^{\beta} \left ( (\sec x + \tan x)^{n+1}+(\sec x + \tan x)^{n-1}\right) \, \d x \\ && \tfrac12(I_{n+1}+I_{n-1}) &= \tfrac12\int_0^{\beta} (\sec x + \tan x)^{n-1}\left ( (\sec x + \tan x)^{2}+1\right) \, \d x \\ && \tfrac12(I_{n+1}+I_{n-1}) &= \tfrac12\int_0^{\beta} (\sec x + \tan x)^{n-1}\left ( \sec^2 x + \tan^2 x + 2\sec x \tan x + 1\right) \, \d x \\ && \tfrac12(I_{n+1}+I_{n-1}) &= \tfrac12\int_0^{\beta} (\sec x + \tan x)^{n-1}\left ( 2\sec x \tan x +2\sec^2 x \right) \, \d x \\ &&& = \left [\frac1n(\sec x + \tan x)^{n} \right]_0^{\beta} \\ &&&= \frac1n[(\sec \beta + \tan \beta)^n - 1] \end{align*} Notice that by AM-GM \(\tfrac12( ( (\sec x + \tan x)^{n+1}+(\sec x + \tan x)^{n-1}) \geq (\sec x + \tan x)^{n}\) with equality not holding most of the time. Integrating we obtain our result. \item \(\,\) \begin{align*} && J_n &= \int_0^{\beta} (\sec x \cos \beta + \tan x )^n \d x \\ && \tfrac12( J_{n+1} + J_{n-1}) &= \tfrac12 \int_0^{\beta} \left ( (\sec x \cos \beta + \tan x )^{n+1} +(\sec x \cos \beta + \tan x )^{n-1}\right ) \d x \\ && &= \tfrac12 \int_0^{\beta}(\sec x \cos \beta + \tan x )^{n-1} \left ( (\sec x \cos \beta + \tan x )^{2} + \right ) \d x \\ && &= \tfrac12 \int_0^{\beta}(\sec x \cos \beta + \tan x )^{n-1} \left ( \sec^2 x \cos^2 \beta + \tan^2 x+ 2\sec x \tan x \cos \beta +1 \right ) \d x \\ && &= \int_0^{\beta}(\sec x \cos \beta + \tan x )^{n-1} \left ( \sec x \tan x \cos \beta +\tfrac12(\cos^2 \beta +1)\sec^2 x \right ) \d x \\ && &< \int_0^{\beta}(\sec x \cos \beta + \tan x )^{n-1} \left ( \sec x \tan x \cos \beta +\sec^2 x \right ) \d x \\ &&&= \left [\frac1n (\sec x \cos \beta + \tan x)^{n} \right]_0^{\beta} \\ &&&= \frac1n[ (1 + \tan \beta)^n - \cos^n \beta] \end{align*} But notice we can use the same AM-GM argument from before to show that \(J_n < \tfrac12( J_{n+1} + J_{n-1}) < \frac1n[ (1 + \tan \beta)^n - \cos^n \beta]\)
Let \(\mathbf{n}\) be a vector of unit length and \(\Pi\) be the plane through the origin perpendicular to \(\mathbf{n}\). For any vector \(\mathbf{x}\), the projection of \(\mathbf{x}\) onto the plane \(\Pi\) is defined to be the vector \(\mathbf{x} - (\mathbf{x} \cdot \mathbf{n})\,\mathbf{n}\). The vectors \(\mathbf{a}\) and \(\mathbf{b}\) each have unit length and the angle between them is \(\theta\), which satisfies \(0 < \theta < \pi\). The vector \(\mathbf{m}\) is given by \(\mathbf{m} = \tfrac{1}{2}(\mathbf{a} + \mathbf{b})\).
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Two curves have polar equations \(r = a + 2\cos\theta\) and \(r = 2 + \cos 2\theta\), where \(r \geqslant 0\) and \(a\) is a constant.
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A sequence \(x_1, x_2, \ldots\) of real numbers is defined by \(x_{n+1} = x_n^2 - 2\) for \(n \geqslant 1\) and \(x_1 = a\).
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An equilateral triangle \(ABC\) has sides of length \(a\). The points \(P\), \(Q\) and \(R\) lie on the sides \(BC\), \(CA\) and \(AB\), respectively, such that the length \(BP\) is \(x\) and \(QR\) is parallel to \(CB\). Show that \[ (\sqrt{3}\cot\phi + 1)(\sqrt{3}\cot\theta + 1)x = 4(a - x), \] where \(\theta = \angle CPQ\) and \(\phi = \angle BRP\). A horizontal triangular frame with sides of length \(a\) and vertices \(A\), \(B\) and \(C\) is fixed on a smooth horizontal table. A small ball is placed at a point \(P\) inside the frame, in contact with side \(BC\) at a distance \(x\) from \(B\). It is struck so that it moves round the triangle \(PQR\) described above, bouncing off the frame at \(Q\) and then \(R\) before returning to point \(P\). The frame is smooth and the coefficient of restitution between the ball and the frame is \(e\). Show that \[ x = \frac{ae}{1 + e}. \] Show further that if the ball continues to move round \(PQR\) after returning to \(P\), then \(e = 1\).
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The origin \(O\) of coordinates lies on a smooth horizontal table and the \(x\)- and \(y\)-axes lie in the plane of the table. A cylinder of radius \(a\) is fixed to the table with its axis perpendicular to the \(x\)--\(y\) plane and passing through \(O\), and with its lower circular end lying on the table. One end, \(P\), of a light inextensible string \(PQ\) of length \(b\) is attached to the bottom edge of the cylinder at \((a, 0)\). The other end, \(Q\), is attached to a particle of mass \(m\), which rests on the table. Initially \(PQ\) is straight and perpendicular to the radius of the cylinder at \(P\), so that \(Q\) is at \((a, b)\). The particle is then given a horizontal impulse parallel to the \(x\)-axis so that the string immediately begins to wrap around the cylinder. At time \(t\), the part of the string that is still straight has rotated through an angle \(\theta\), where \(a\theta < b\).
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The continuous random variable \(X\) has probability density function \[ f(x) = \begin{cases} \lambda e^{-\lambda x} & \text{for } x \geqslant 0, \\ 0 & \text{otherwise,} \end{cases} \] where \(\lambda\) is a positive constant. The random variable \(Y\) is the greatest integer less than or equal to \(X\), and \(Z = X - Y\).
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