AIME 2015 II, Problem 13

Define the sequence $a_1, a_2, a_3, \ldots$ by $a_n = \sum\limits_{k=1}^n \sin{k}$, where $k$ represents radian measure. Find the index of the 100th term for which $a_n < 0$.

Solution: If $n = 1$, $a_n = \sin(1) > 0$.  Then if $n$ satisfies $a_n < 0$, $n \ge 2$, and \[a_n = \sum_{k=1}^n \sin(k) = \cfrac{1}{\sin{1}} \sum_{k=1}^n\sin(1)\sin(k) = \cfrac{1}{2\sin{1}} \sum_{k=1}^n\cos(k - 1) - \cos(k + 1) = \cfrac{1}{2\sin(1)} [\cos(0) + \cos(1) - \cos(n) - \cos(n + 1)].\] Since $2\sin 1$ is positive, it does not affect the sign of $a_n$.  Let $b_n = \cos(0) + \cos(1) - \cos(n) - \cos(n + 1)$.  Now since $\cos(0) + \cos(1) = 2\cos\left(\cfrac{1}{2}\right)\cos\left(\cfrac{1}{2}\right)$ and $\cos(n) + \cos(n + 1) = 2\cos\left(n + \cfrac{1}{2}\right)\cos\left(\cfrac{1}{2}\right)$, $b_n$ is negative if and only if $\cos\left(\cfrac{1}{2}\right) < \cos\left(n + \cfrac{1}{2}\right)$, or when $n \in [2k\pi - 1, 2k\pi]$.  Since $\pi$ is irrational, there is always only one integer in the range, so there are values of $n$ such that $a_n < 0$ at $2\pi, 4\pi, \cdots$.  Then the hundredth such value will be when $k = 100$ and $n = \lfloor 200\pi \rfloor = \lfloor 628.318 \rfloor = \fbox{628}$.

Answer: 628