Found problems: 83
2024 Alborz Mathematical Olympiad, P3
A person is locked in a room with a password-protected computer. If they enter the correct password, the door opens and they are freed. However, the password changes every time it is entered incorrectly. The person knows that the password is always a 10-digit number, and they also know that the password change follows a fixed pattern. This means that if the current password is \( b \) and \( a \) is entered, the new password is \( c \), which is determined by \( b \) and \( a \) (naturally, the person does not know \( c \) or \( b \)). Prove that regardless of the characteristics of this computer, the prisoner can free themselves.
Proposed by Reza Tahernejad Karizi
2020 Latvia Baltic Way TST, 8
A magician has $300$ cards with numbers from $1$ to $300$ written on them, each number on exactly one card. The magician then lays these cards on a $3 \times 100$ rectangle in the following way - one card in each unit square so that the number cannot be seen and cards with consecutive numbers are in neighbouring squares. Afterwards, the magician turns over $k$ cards of his choice. What is the smallest value of $k$ for which it can happen that the opened cards definitely determine the exact positions of all other cards?
2019 Iran MO (2nd Round), 5
Ali and Naqi are playing a game. At first, they have Polynomial $P(x) = 1+x^{1398}$.
Naqi starts. In each turn one can choice natural number $k \in [0,1398]$ in his trun, and add $x^k$ to the polynomial. For example after 2 moves $P$ can be : $P(x) = x^{1398} + x^{300} + x^{100} +1$. If after Ali's turn, there exist $t \in R$ such that $P(t)<0$ then Ali loses the game. Prove that Ali can play forever somehow he never loses the game!
2020 USA TSTST, 1
Let $a$, $b$, $c$ be fixed positive integers. There are $a+b+c$ ducks sitting in a
circle, one behind the other. Each duck picks either rock, paper, or scissors, with $a$ ducks
picking rock, $b$ ducks picking paper, and $c$ ducks picking scissors.
A move consists of an operation of one of the following three forms:
[list]
[*] If a duck picking rock sits behind a duck picking scissors, they switch places.
[*] If a duck picking paper sits behind a duck picking rock, they switch places.
[*] If a duck picking scissors sits behind a duck picking paper, they switch places.
[/list]
Determine, in terms of $a$, $b$, and $c$, the maximum number of moves which could take
place, over all possible initial configurations.
2019 Tournament Of Towns, 5
A magician and his assistent are performing the following trick.There is a row of 12 empty closed boxes. The magician leaves the room, and a person from the audience hides a coin in each of two boxes of his choice, so that the assistent knows which boxes contain coins. The magician returns, and the assistant is allowed to open one box that does not contain a coin. Next, the magician selects 4 boxes, which are simultaneously opened. The goal of the magician is to open both boxes that contain coins. Devise a method that will allow the magician and his assistant to always succesfully perform the trick.
2020 China Northern MO, P4
Two students $A$ and $B$ play a game on a $20 \text{ x } 20$ chessboard. It is known that two squares are said to be [i]adjacent[/i] if the two squares have a common side. At the beginning, there is a chess piece in a certain square of the chessboard. Given that $A$ will be the first one to move the chess piece, $A$ and $B$ will alternately move this chess piece to an adjacent square. Also, the common side of any pair of adjacent squares can only be passed once. If the opponent cannot move anymore, then he will be declared the winner (to clarify since the wording wasn’t that good, you lose if you can’t move). Who among $A$ and $B$ has a winning strategy? Justify your claim.
2018 Serbia Team Selection Test, 3
Ana and Bob are playing the following game.
[list]
[*] First, Bob draws triangle $ABC$ and a point $P$ inside it.
[*] Then Ana and Bob alternate, starting with Ana, choosing three different permutations $\sigma_1$, $\sigma_2$ and $\sigma_3$ of $\{A, B, C\}$.
[*] Finally, Ana draw a triangle $V_1V_2V_3$.
[/list]
For $i=1,2,3$, let $\psi_i$ be the similarity transformation which takes $\sigma_i(A), \sigma_i(B)$ and $\sigma_i(C)$ to $V_i, V_{i+1}$ and $ X_i$ respectively (here $V_4=V_1$) where triangle $\Delta V_iV_{i+1}X_i$ lies on the outside of triangle $V_1V_2V_3$. Finally, let $Q_i=\psi_i(P)$. Ana wins if triangles $Q_1Q_2Q_3$ and $ABC$ are similar (in some order of vertices) and Bob wins otherwise. Determine who has the winning strategy.
2017 CentroAmerican, 2
Susana and Brenda play a game writing polynomials on the board. Susana starts and they play taking turns.
1) On the preparatory turn (turn 0), Susana choose a positive integer $n_0$ and writes the polynomial $P_0(x)=n_0$.
2) On turn 1, Brenda choose a positive integer $n_1$, different from $n_0$, and either writes the polynomial
$$P_1(x)=n_1x+P_0(x) \textup{ or } P_1(x)=n_1x-P_0(x)$$
3) In general, on turn $k$, the respective player chooses an integer $n_k$, different from $n_0, n_1, \ldots, n_{k-1}$, and either writes the polynomial
$$P_k(x)=n_kx^k+P_{k-1}(x) \textup{ or } P_k(x)=n_kx^k-P_{k-1}(x)$$
The first player to write a polynomial with at least one whole whole number root wins. Find and describe a winning strategy.