Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2008/ia/paper-1/1b/solution

De Moivre's theorem says that, for a real angle and an integer ,
For a complex number , the corresponding formula is , with required for negative powers.
Put . If , the finite geometric series gives
To extract the real part, multiply numerator and denominator by . The denominator becomes , and the numerator is . Thus this finite trigonometric sum is
At , the sum equals ; the printed quotient is undefined there, though its continuous limiting value is .
Now take with . This is not a multiple of , while and . Substitution gives

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