Problem

Source: China TST 1998, problem 3

Tags: inequalities, trigonometry, inequalities unsolved



For a fixed $\theta \in \lbrack 0, \frac{\pi}{2} \rbrack$, find the smallest $a \in \mathbb{R}^{+}$ which satisfies the following conditions: I. $\frac{\sqrt a}{\cos \theta} + \frac{\sqrt a}{\sin \theta} > 1$. II. There exists $x \in \lbrack 1 - \frac{\sqrt a}{\sin \theta}, \frac{\sqrt a}{\cos \theta} \rbrack$ such that $\lbrack (1 - x)\sin \theta - \sqrt{a - x^2 \cos^{2} \theta} \rbrack^{2} + \lbrack x\cos \theta - \sqrt{a - (1 - x)^2 \sin^{2} \theta} \rbrack^{2} \leq a$.