Hamilton Avenue has eight houses. On one side of the street are the houses numbered 1,3,5,7 and directly opposite are houses 2,4,6,8 respectively. An eccentric postman starts deliveries at house 1 and delivers letters to each of the houses, finally returning to house 1 for a cup of tea. Throughout the entire journey he must observe the following rules. The numbers of the houses delivered to must follow an odd-even-odd-even pattern throughout, each house except house 1 is visited exactly once (house 1 is visited twice) and the postman at no time is allowed to cross the road to the house directly opposite. How many different delivery sequences are possible?

Let $n> 1$ be a positive integer. Danielle chooses a number $N$ of $n$ digits but does not tell her students and they must find the sum of the digits of $N$. To achieve this, each student chooses and says once a number of $n$ digits to Danielle and she tells how many digits are in the correct location compared with $N$. Find the minimum number of students that must be in the class to ensure that students have a strategy to correctly find the sum of the digits of $N$ in any case and show a strategy in that case.

A sequence $a_0,a_1,a_2,\cdots,a_n,\cdots$ satisfies that $a_0=3$, and $(3-a_{n-1})(6+a_n)=18$, then the value of $\sum_{i=0}^{n}\frac{1}{a_i}$ is________.

Find the angle $BCA$ in the quadrilateral of the figure. [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/0/2/974e23be54125cde8610a78254b59685833b5b.png[/img]

There are $200$ boxes on the table. In the beginning, each of the boxes contains a positive integer (the integers are not necessarily distinct). Every minute, Alice makes one move. A move consists of the following. First, she picks a box $X$ which contains a number $c$ such that $c = a + b$ for some numbers $a$ and $b$ which are contained in some other boxes. Then she picks a positive integer $k > 1$. Finally, she removes $c$ from $X$ and replaces it with $kc$. If she cannot make any mobes, she stops. Prove that no matter how Alice makes her moves, she won't be able to make infinitely many moves.

Let $ a_i,b_i$ $ (i\equal{}1,2,...,n)$ be real numbers such that the $ a_i$ are distinct, and suppose that there is a real number $ \alpha$ such that the product $ (a_i\plus{}b_1)(a_i\plus{}b_2)...(a_i\plus{}b_n)$ is equal to $ \alpha$ for each $ i$. Prove that there is a real number $ \beta$ such that $ (a_1\plus{}b_j)(a_2\plus{}b_j)...(a_n\plus{}b_j)$ is equal to $ \beta$ for each $ j$.

Convex quadrilateral $ABCD$ is described on a circle $\omega$, and is not a trapezius inscribed in a circle. Let the tangency points of $\omega$ and $AB, BC, CD, DA$ be $K, L, M, N$ respectively. A circle with a center $I_K$, different from $\omega$ is tangent to the segement $AB$ and lines $AD, BC$. A circle with center $I_L$, different from $\omega$ is tangent to segment $BC$ and lines $AB, CD$. A circle with center $I_M$, different from $\omega$ is tangent to segment $CD$ and lines $AD, BC$. A circle with center $I_N$, different from $\omega$ is tangent to segment $AD$ and lines $AB, CD$. Prove that the lines $I_KK, I_LL, I_MM, I_NN$ are concurrent.

Let $x$ and $y$ be positive real numbers. 1. Prove: if $x^3 - y^3 \ge 4x$, then $x^2 > 2y$. 2. Prove: if $x^5 - y^3 \ge 2x$, then $x^3 \ge 2y$.

Find all positive integers $d$ with the following property: there exists a polynomial $P$ of degree $d$ with integer coefficients such that $\left|P(m)\right|=1$ for at least $d+1$ different integers $m$.

Let $ABC$ be an acute-angled triangle with circumcircle $\omega$ and circumcentre $O$. Points $D\neq B$ and $E\neq C$ lie on $\omega$ such that $BD\perp AC$ and $CE\perp AB$. Let $CO$ meet $AB$ at $X$, and $BO$ meet $AC$ at $Y$. Prove that the circumcircles of triangles $BXD$ and $CYE$ have an intersection lie on line $AO$. [i]Ivan Chan Kai Chin, Malaysia[/i]

Line $\ell$ intersects sides $BC$ and $AD$ of cyclic quadrilateral $ABCD$ in its interior points $R$ and $S$, respectively, and intersects ray $DC$ beyond point $C$ at $Q$, and ray $BA$ beyond point $A$ at $P$. Circumcircles of the triangles $QCR$ and $QDS$ intersect at $N \neq Q$, while circumcircles of the triangles $PAS$ and $PBR$ intersect at $M\neq P$. Let lines $MP$ and $NQ$ meet at point $X$, lines $AB$ and $CD$ meet at point $K$ and lines $BC$ and $AD$ meet at point $L$. Prove that point $X$ lies on line $KL$.

Police want to arrest on the famous criminals of the country whose name is Kaiser. Kaiser is in one of the streets of a square shaped city with $ n$ vertical streets and $ n$ horizontal streets. In the following cases how many police officers are needed to arrest Kaiser? [img]http://i38.tinypic.com/2i1icec_th.png[/img] [img]http://i34.tinypic.com/28rk4s3_th.png[/img] a) Each police officer has the same speed as Kaiser and every police officer knows the location of Kaiser anytime. b) Kaiser has an infinite speed (finite but with no bound) and police officers can only know where he is only when one of them see Kaiser. Everybody in this problem (including police officers and Kaiser) move continuously and can stop or change his path.

Define a \emph{crossword puzzle} to be a $15 \times 15$ grid of squares, each of which is either black or white. In a crossword puzzle, define a \emph{word} to be a sequence of one or more consecutive white squares in a row or column such that the squares immediately before and after the sequence both are either black or nonexistent. (The latter case would occur if an end of a word coincides with an end of a row or column of the grid.) A crossword puzzle is \emph{tasty} if every word consists of an even number of white squares. Compute the sum of all nonnegative integers $n$ such that there exists a tasty crossword puzzle with exactly $n$ white squares. [i]Proposed by Luke Robitaille[/i]

Let $O$ be the circumcenter of $\triangle ABC$. A circle with center $P$ pass through $A$ and $O$ and $OP$//$BC$. $D$ is a point such that $\angle DBA = \angle DCA = \angle BAC$. Prove that: Circle $(P)$, circle $(BCD)$ and the circle with diameter $(AD)$ share a common point. [img]https://services.artofproblemsolving.com/download.php?id=YXR0YWNobWVudHMvMS9jLzlmZjdlN2ExZDJjYjAwYWJlZTQzYWRkYzg3NDlhMTUyZjRlNGJjLmpwZw==&rn=c291dGhlYXN0UDYuanBn[/img]

We are given one red and $k>1$ blue cells, and a pack of $2n$ cards, enumerated by the numbers from $1$ to $2n$. Initially, the pack is situated on the red cell and arranged in an arbitrary order. In each move, we are allowed to take the top card from one of the cells and place it either onto the top of another cell on which the number on the top card is greater by $1$, or onto an empty cell. Given $k$, what is the maximal $n$ for which it is always possible to move all the cards onto a blue cell?

Let $ABC$ be an acute and scalene triangle. Points $D$ and $E$ are in the interior of the triangle so that $<$ $DAB$ $=$ $<$ $DCB$, $<$ $DAC$ $=$ $<$ $DBC$, $<$ $EAB$ $=$ $<$ $EBC$ and $<$ $EAC$ $=$ $<$ $ECB$. Prove that the triangle $ADE$ is a right triangle.

Let $ a_1, a_2, ..., a_ {1994} $ be integers such that $ a_1 + a_2 + ... + a_{1994} = 1994 ^{1994} $ . Determine the remainder of the division of $ a ^ 3_1 + a ^ 3_2 + ... + a ^ 3_{1994} $ with $6$.

In the plane, consider a circle with center $S$ and radius $1.$ Let $ABC$ be an arbitrary triangle having this circle as its incircle, and assume that $SA\leq SB\leq SC.$ Find the locus of [b]a.)[/b] all vertices $A$ of such triangles; [b]b.)[/b] all vertices $B$ of such triangles; [b]c.)[/b] all vertices $C$ of such triangles.

Prove that, so have $k$ for $\forall a_1,a_2,...,a_n$ satisfying $$|\sum_{i=1}^k a_i -\sum_{j=k+1}^n a_j |\leq \max_{1\leq m\leq n} |a_m|$$

Let $ABCD$ be a square of side length $2.$ Let points $X, Y,$ and $Z$ be constructed inside $ABCD$ such that $ABX, BCY,$ and $CDZ$ are equilateral triangles. Let point $W$ be outside $ABCD$ such that triangle $DAW$ is equilateral. Let the area of $WXYZ$ be $a+\sqrt{b},$ where $a$ and $b$ are integers. Find $a+b.$

In a game, Andi and a computer take turns. At the beginning, the computer shows a polynomial $x^2 + mx + n$ where $m,n \in \mathbb{Z}$, such that it doesn't have real roots. Andi then begins the game. On his turn, Andi may change a polynomial in the form $x^2 + ax + b$ into either $x^2 + (a+b)x + b$ or $x^2 + ax + (a+b)$. However, Andi may only choose a polynomial that has real roots. On the computer's turn, it simply switches the coefficient of $x$ and the constant of the polynomial. Andi loses if he can't continue to play. Find all $(m,n)$ such that Andi always loses (in finitely many turns).

Suppose that $a$ and $b$ are non-negative integers satisfying $a + b + ab + a^b = 42$. Find the sum of all possible values of $a + b$. Let $T = TNYWR$. Suppose that a sequence $\{a_n\}$ is defined via $a_1 = 11, a_2 = T$, and $a_n = a_{n-1} + 2a_{n-2}$ for $n \ge 3$. Find $a_{19} + a_{20}$.

It is known that $1$ and $2$ are roots of a polynomial with integer coefficients. Prove that the polynomial has a coefficient with value less than $-1$ .

Consider a standard twelve-hour clock whose hour and minute hands move continuously. Let $m$ be an integer, with $1 \leq m \leq 720$. At precisely $m$ minutes after 12:00, the angle made by the hour hand and minute hand is exactly $1^\circ$. Determine all possible values of $m$.

Let be a triangle $ ABC $, the midpoint of the $ AC $ and $ N $ side, and the midpoint of the $ AB $ side. Let $ r $ and $ s $ reflect the straight lines $ BM $ and $ CN $ on the straight $ BC $, respectively. Also define $ D $ and $ E $ as the intersection of the lines $ r $ and $ s $ and the line $ MN $, respectively. Let $ X $ and $ Y $ be the intersection points between the circumcircles of the triangles $ BDM $ and $ CEN $, $ Z $ the intersection of the lines $ BE $ and $ CD $ and $ W $ the intersection between the lines $ r $ and $ s $. Prove that $ XY, WZ $, and $ BC $ are concurrents.