South African Mathematics Olympiad Third Round
South Africa algebra
Problem
Two sequences of real numbers are defined as follows: u1=0,un+1=21(un+vn) v1=1,vn+1=41(un+3vn) Find the value of v2016−u2016.
Solution — click to reveal
u1=0 v1=1 un+1=21(un+vn) vn+1=41(un+3vn) v2016−u2016=41(u2015+3v2015)−21(u2015+v2015)=41v2015−41u2015=41(v2015−u2015)=41(41(v2014−u2014))=41(41(41)2013(v1−u1))=420151(v1−u1)=420151(1−0)=420151.
Techniques
Recurrence relations