olymmath

Putnam 2009 A3

  • Session A

Let dnd_n be the determinant of the n×nn \times n matrix whose entries, from left to right and then from top to bottom, are cos⁡1,cos⁡2,…,cos⁡n2\cos 1, \cos 2, \dots, \cos n^2. (For example, d3=∣cos⁡1cos⁡2cos⁡3cos⁡4cos⁡5cos⁡6cos⁡7cos⁡8cos⁡9∣.d_3 = \left| \begin{matrix} \cos 1 & \cos 2 & \cos 3 \\ \cos 4 & \cos 5 & \cos 6 \\ \cos 7 & \cos 8 & \cos 9 \end{matrix} \right|. The argument of cos⁡\cos is always in radians, not degrees.) Evaluate lim⁡n→∞dn\lim_{n\to\infty} d_n.

Curated text Kedlaya Putnam archive. Quoted with source.

Solutions

Human solution Solution 1 by Kiran Kedlaya and Lenny Ng

The terms of the source let olymmath link to this solution but not copy it. Read the solution (Kedlaya Putnam archive).

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