A positive proper divisor is a positive divisor of a number, excluding itself. For positive integers $n \ge 2$, let $f(n)$ denote the number that is one more than the largest proper divisor of $n$. Determine all positive integers $n$ such that $f(f(n)) = 2$.

A positive integer $k$ is given. Initially, $N$ cells are marked on an infinite checkered plane. We say that the cross of a cell $A$ is the set of all cells lying in the same row or in the same column as $A$. By a turn, it is allowed to mark an unmarked cell $A$ if the cross of $A$ contains at least $k$ marked cells. It appears that every cell can be marked in a sequence of such turns. Determine the smallest possible value of $N$.

Consider $\triangle \natural\flat\sharp$. Let $\flat\sharp$, $\sharp\natural$ and $\natural\flat$ be the answers to problems $4$, $5$, and $6$, respectively. If the incircle of $\triangle \natural\flat\sharp$ touches $\natural\flat$ at $\odot$, find $\flat\odot$. [i]Proposed by Evan Chen[/i]

Find all the pairs of real numbers $(x,y)$ that are solutions of the system: $(x^{2}+y^{2})^{2}-xy(x+y)^{2}=19 $ $| x - y | = 1$

Three mutually perpendicular rays $O_x,O_y,O_z$ and three points $A,B,C$ on $O_x,O_y,O_z$, respectively. A variable sphere є through $A, B,C$ meets $O_x,O_y,O_z$ again at $A', B',C'$, respectively. Let $M$ and $M'$ be the centroids of triangles $ABC$ and $A'B'C'$. Find the locus of the midpoint of $MM'$.

Let $T_1$ be a triangle having $a, b, c$ as lengths of its sides and let $T_2$ be another triangle having $u, v,w$ as lengths of its sides. If $P,Q$ are the areas of the two triangles, prove that \[16PQ \leq a^2(-u^2 + v^2 + w^2) + b^2(u^2 - v^2 + w^2) + c^2(u^2 + v^2 - w^2).\] When does equality hold?

Prove that $ a < b$ implies that $ a^3 \minus{} 3a \leq b^3 \minus{} 3b \plus{} 4.$ When does equality occur?

Let $f$ and $g$ be two nonzero polynomials with integer coefficients and $\deg f>\deg g$. Suppose that for infinitely many primes $p$ the polynomial $pf+g$ has a rational root. Prove that $f$ has a rational root.

For a positive integer $n$, let $\phi(n)$ denote the number of positive integers between $1$ and $n$, inclusive, which are relatively prime to $n$. We say that a positive integer $k$ is total if $k=\frac n{\phi(n)}$, for some positive integer $n$. Find all total numbers.

What is the smallest possible value of the least common multiple of $a, b, c, d$ if we know that these four numbers are distinct and $a + b + c + d = 1000$?

Kayla rolls four fair $6$-sided dice. What is the probability that at least one of the numbers Kayla rolls is greater than $4$ and at least two of the numbers she rolls are greater than $2$? $\textbf{(A)}\frac{2}{3}~\textbf{(B)}\frac{19}{27}~\textbf{(C)}\frac{59}{81}~\textbf{(D)}\frac{61}{81}~\textbf{(E)}\frac{7}{9}$

Find maximal numbers of planes, such there are $6$ points and 1) $4$ or more points lies on every plane. 2) No one line passes through $4$ points.

$f(x)$ is a quartic polynomial with a leading coefficient $1$ where $f(2)=4$, $f(3)=9$, $f(4)=16$, and $f(5)=25$. Compute $f(8)$.

In tetrahedron $ ABCD$, radius four circumcircles of four faces are equal. Prove that $ AB\equal{}CD$, $ AC\equal{}BD$ and $ AD\equal{}BC$.

Given positive integers $k, m, n$ such that $1 \leq k \leq m \leq n$. Evaluate \[\sum^{n}_{i=0} \frac{(-1)^i}{n+k+i} \cdot \frac{(m+n+i)!}{i!(n-i)!(m+i)!}.\]

On a party with $99$ guests, hosts Ann and Bob play a game (the hosts are not regarded as guests). There are $99$ chairs arranged in a circle; initially, all guests hang around those chairs. The hosts take turns alternately. By a turn, a host orders any standing guest to sit on an unoccupied chair $c$. If some chair adjacent to $c$ is already occupied, the same host orders one guest on such chair to stand up (if both chairs adjacent to $c$ are occupied, the host chooses exactly one of them). All orders are carried out immediately. Ann makes the first move; her goal is to fulfill, after some move of hers, that at least $k$ chairs are occupied. Determine the largest $k$ for which Ann can reach the goal, regardless of Bob's play.

In how many different ways can you write $2016$ as the sum of a sequence of consecutive natural numbers?

Find largest possible constant $M$ such that, for any sequence $a_n$, $n=0,1,2,...$ of real numbers, that satisfies the conditions : i) $a_0=1$, $a_1=3$ ii) $a_0+a_1+...+a_{n-1} \ge 3 a_n - a_{n+1}$ for any integer $n\ge 1$ to be true that $$\frac{a_{n+1}}{a_n} >M$$ for any integer $n\ge 0$.

Initially, all the squares of an $8\times 8$ grid are white. You start by choosing one of the squares and coloring it gray. After that, you may color additional squares gray one at a time, but you may only color a square gray if it has exactly $1$ or $3$ gray neighbors at that moment (where a neighbor is a square sharing an edge). For example, the configuration below (of a smaller $3\times 4$ grid) shows a situation where six squares have been colored gray so far. The squares that can be colored at the next step are marked with a dot. Is it possible to color all the squares gray? Justify your answer. [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/1/c/d50ab269f481e4e516dace06a991e6b37f2a85.png[/img]

Fifty students take part in a mathematical competition where a set of $8$ problems is given (same set to each participant). The final result showed that a total of $171$ correct solutions were obtained. Prove that there are $3$ of the given problems that have been correctly solved by the same $3$ students.

(1) Let $a,b,c$ be positive real numbers satisfying $(a^2+b^2+c^2)^2>2(a^4+b^4+c^4)$. Prove that $a,b,c$ can be the lengths of three sides of a triangle respectively. (2) Let $a_1,a_2,\dots ,a_n$ be $n$ ($n>3$) positive real numbers satisfying $(a_1^2+a_2^2+\dots +a_n^2)^2>(n-1)(a_1^4+ a_2^4+\dots +a_n^4)$. Prove that any three of $a_1,a_2,\dots ,a_n$ can be the lengths of three sides of a triangle respectively.

Let $G$ be a graph whose vertices are the integers. Assume that any two integers are connected by a finite path in $G$. For two integers $x$ and $y$, we denote by $d(x, y)$ the length of the shortest path from $x$ to $y$, where the length of a path is the number of edges in it. Assume that $d(x, y) \mid x-y$ for all integers $x, y$ and define $S(G)=\{d(x, y) | x, y \in \mathbb{Z}\}$. Find all possible sets $S(G)$.

An ant starts at the origin of the Cartesian coordinate plane. Each minute it moves randomly one unit in one of the directions up, down, left, or right, with all four directions being equally likely; its direction each minute is independent of its direction in any previous minutes. It stops when it reaches a point $(x,y)$ such that $|x|+|y|=3$. The expected number of moves it makes before stopping can be expressed as $\frac{m}{n}$ for relatively prime positive integers $m$ and $n$. Compute $100m+n$. [i]Proposed by Yannick Yao[/i]

A pentagon $ABCDE$ is inscribed in a circle $O$, and satises $AB = BC , AE = DE$. The circle that is tangent to $DE$ at $E$ and passing $A$ hits $EC$ at $F$ and $BF$ at $G (\ne F)$. Let $DG\cap O = H (\ne D)$. Prove that the tangent to $O$ at $E$ is perpendicular to $HA$.

Let $ABC$ be an acute triangle with circumcenter $O$, and let $D$, $E$, and $F$ be the feet of altitudes from $A$, $B$, and $C$ to sides $BC$, $CA$, and $AB$, respectively. Denote by $P$ the intersection of the tangents to the circumcircle of $ABC$ at $B$ and $C$. The line through $P$ perpendicular to $EF$ meets $AD$ at $Q$, and let $R$ be the foot of the perpendicular from $A$ to $EF$. Prove that $DR$ and $OQ$ are parallel.