Let $$h\left( x \right) = f\left( x \right) - {\left( {f\left( x \right)} \right)^2} + {\left( {f\left( x \right)} \right)^3}$$ for every real number $$x$$. Then

Suppose $$f(x)$$ is a function satisfying the following conditions
(a) $$f(0)=2,f(1)=1$$,
(b) $$f$$has a minimum value at $$x=5/2$$, and
(c) for all $$x$$, $$$f'\left( x \right) = \matrix{ {2ax} & {2ax - 1} & {2ax + b + 1} \cr b & {b + 1} & { - 1} \cr {2\left( {ax + b} \right)} & {2ax + 2b + 1} & {2ax + b} \cr } $$$
where $$a,b$$ are some constants. Determine the constants $$a, b$$ and the function $$f(x)$$.

A bird flies in a circle on a horizontal plane. An observer stands at a point on the ground. Suppose $${60^ \circ }$$ and $${30^ \circ }$$ are the maximum and the minimum angles of elevation of the bird and that they occur when the bird is at the points $$P$$ and $$Q$$ respectively on its path. Let $$\theta $$ be the angle of elevation of the bird when it is a point on the are of the circle exactly midway between $$P$$ and $$Q$$. Find the numerical value of $${\tan ^2}\theta $$. (Assume that the observer is not inside the vertical projection of the path of the bird.)

The number of values of $$x$$ where the function
$$f\left( x \right) = \cos x + \cos \left( {\sqrt 2 x} \right)$$ attains its maximum is