1 Apr 2026

Let $a, b, c \in \mathbf C$ such that $|a| = |b| = |c| = 1$, and $a + b + c = 0$. Prove that if $k \in \mathbf N$ is not divisible by $3$, then $$ a^k + b^k + c^k = 0. $$

Proposed by Antonio Roberto Martínez Fernández on behalf of the RSME, as the senior problem of the month (nov. 2021).

Consider the triangle with vertices at $a$, $b$ and $c$. Because $(a+b+c)/3 = 0$, its barycenter lies at the origin; likewise, since all its vertices belong the unit circle, its circumcenter is also located at $0$. This is enough to claim that the triangle is equilateral, but for completeness we prove it:

Recall that the barycenter is the intersection of the medians, whereas the circumcenter is the intersection of the perpendicular bisectors; since they share a point by construction – i.e., the midpoints of the sides –, in order for them to pass through the same other, they must be equal. We thus have a triangle where the cevians joining the vertices to the midpoints from the opposite sides form right angles, so by definition the heights coincide with the medians and the perpendicular bisectors. The triangle then has all its sides equal by applying Pythagoras' theorem:
a
b
h
m
n

If $m=n$, then $a = \sqrt{m^2 + h^2} = \sqrt{n^2 + h^2} = b$.

Finally, this translates into the complex plane as the existence of a $z \in \mathbf C$ with $|z|=1$ such that $a=z$, $b=z\xi_3$, and $c=z\xi_3^2$, where $\xi_3 = e^{i2\pi / 3}$; hence $$ a^k + b^k + c^k = z^k (1 + \xi_3^k + \xi_3^{2k}) = z^k \frac{1 - \xi_3^{3k}}{1 - \xi_3^k} = 0. $$