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2023 AMC 12B Problem 7

Problem 7 of 25EasierAlgebra

For how many integers nn does the expression log(n2)(logn)2logn3 \sqrt{\frac{\log(n^2)-(\log n)^2}{\log n-3}} represent a real number, where log\log denotes the base 1010 logarithm?

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Solution

Write L=logn.L=\log n. Then log(n2)(logn)2\log(n^2)-(\log n)^2 =2LL2=2L-L^2 =L(2L),=L(2-L), and the fraction is L(2L)L3.\dfrac{L(2-L)}{L-3}. A sign chart shows this is 0\ge 0 exactly when L0L\le 0 or 2L<3.2\le L\lt 3. Since nn is a positive integer, L0L\le 0 forces n=1,n=1, while 2L<32\le L\lt 3 gives 100n999,100\le n\le 999, which is 900900 values. In total 1+900=901.1+900=901. Thus, the correct answer is E.

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Concepts: logarithm · inequality

Problem text and solution from the LIVE past-contest archive. See also the AoPS wiki page for community solutions.