Find a positive integer $N$ and $a_1, a_2, \cdots, a_N$ where $a_k = 1$ or $a_k = -1$, for each $k=1,2,\cdots,N,$ such that $$a_1 \cdot 1^3 + a_2 \cdot 2^3 + a_3 \cdot 3^3 \cdots + a_N \cdot N^3 = 20162016$$ or show that this is impossible.

Let $f:[0,1]\to [0,1]$ be a continuous function. We say $f\equiv 0$ if $f(x)=0$ for all $x\in [0,1]$ and similarly $f\not\equiv 0$ if there exists at least one $x\in [0,1]$ such that $f(x)\neq 0$. Suppose $f\not\equiv 0$, $f \circ f \not\equiv 0$ but $f \circ f \circ f \equiv 0$. Do there exists such an $f$? If yes construct such an function, if no prove it

Prove the equality $${n \choose 0}^2+ {n \choose 1}^2+ {n \choose 2}^2+...+{n \choose n}^2={2n \choose n}$$

Bucket $A$ contains 3 litres of syrup. Bucket $B$ contains $n$ litres of water. Bucket $C$ is empty. We can perform any combination of the following operations: - Pour away the entire amount in bucket $X$, - Pour the entire amount in bucket $X$ into bucket $Y$, - Pour from bucket $X$ into bucket $Y$ until buckets $Y$ and $Z$ contain the same amount. [b](a)[/b] How can we obtain 10 litres of 30% syrup if $n = 20$? [b](b)[/b] Determine all possible values of $n$ for which the task in (a) is possible.

For all non-negative real numbers $x,y,z$ with $x \geq y$, prove the inequality $$\frac{x^3-y^3+z^3+1}{6}\geq (x-y)\sqrt{xyz}.$$

A treasure is buried under a square of an $8\times 8$ board. Under each other square is a message which indicates the minimum number of steps needed to reach the square with the treasure. Each step takes one from a square to another square sharing a common side. What is the minmum number of squares we must dig up in order to bring up the treasure for sure?

Two polynomials $f(x)$ and $g(x)$ with real coefficients are called similar if there exist nonzero real number a such that $f(x) = q \cdot g(x)$ for all $x \in R$. [b]I.[/b] Show that there exists a polynomial $P(x)$ of degree 1999 with real coefficients which satisfies the condition: $(P(x))^2 - 4$ and $(P'(x))^2 \cdot (x^2-4)$ are similar. [b]II.[/b] How many polynomials of degree 1999 are there which have above mentioned property.

(1) Determine if there exists an infinite sequence $\{a_n\}$ with positive integer terms, such that $a^2_{n+1}\ge 2a_na_{n+2}$ for any positive integer $n$. (2) Determine if there exists an infinite sequence $\{a_n\}$ with positive irrational terms, such that $a^2_{n+1}\ge 2a_na_{n+2}$ for any positive integer $n$.

Consider the sequence $(a_n)$ satisfying $a_1=\dfrac{1}{2},a_{n+1}=\sqrt[3]{3a_{n+1}-a_n}$ and $0\le a_n\le 1,\forall n\ge 1.$ a. Prove that the sequence $(a_n)$ is determined uniquely and has finite limit. b. Let $b_n=(1+2.a_1)(1+2^2a_2)...(1+2^na_n), \forall n\ge 1.$ Prove that the sequence $(b_n)$ has finite limit.

Define an operation $\Diamond$ as $ a \Diamond b = 12a - 10b.$ Compute the value of $((((20 \Diamond 22) \Diamond 22) \Diamond 22) \Diamond22).$

The following problem is open in the sense that the answer to part (b) is not currently known. Let $n$ be an odd positive integer and let \[ f_n(x,y,z) = x^n + y^n + z^n + (x+y+z)^n. \] $(a)$ Prove that there exist infinitely many values of $n$ such that \[ f_n(x,y,z) \equiv (x+y)(y+z)(z+x) g_n(x,y,z) h_n(x,y,z) \pmod{2}, \] for some integer polynomials $g_n(x,y,z)$ and $h_n(x,y,z)$, neither of which is constant modulo 2. $(b)$ Determine all values of $n$ such that \[ f_n(x,y,z) \equiv (x+y)(y+z)(z+x) g_n(x,y,z) h_n(x,y,z) \pmod{2}, \] for some integer polynomials $g_n(x,y,z)$ and $h_n(x,y,z)$, neither of which is constant modulo 2. (Two integer polynomials are $\emph{congruent modulo 2}$ if every coefficient of their difference is even. A polynomial is $\emph{constant modulo 2}$ if it is congruent to a constant polynomial modulo 2.)

$A$ and $B$ are two cylindrical containers that contain water. The height of the water at$ A$ is $1000$ cm and at $B$, $350$ cm. Using a pump, water is transferred from $A$ to $B$. It is noted that, in container $A$, the height of the water decreases $4$ cm per minute and in $B$ it increases $9$ cm per minute. After how much time, since the pump was started, will the heights at $A$ and $B$ be the same?

Find one pair of positive integers $a,b$ such that $ab(a+b)$ is not divisible by $7$, but $(a+b)^7-a^7-b^7$ is divisible by $7^7$.

Let $z\ne0$ be a complex number such that $z^8=\overline z$. What are the possible values of $z^{2001}$?

[b]p1.[/b] Compute $x$ such that $2009^{2010} \equiv x$ (mod $2011$) and $0 \le x < 2011$. [b]p2.[/b] Compute the number of "words" that can be formed by rearranging the letters of the word "syzygy" so that the y's are evenly spaced. (The $y$'s are evenly spaced if the number of letters (possibly zero) between the first $y$ and the second $y$ is the same as the number of letters between the second $y$ and the third $y$.) [b]p3.[/b] Let $A$ and $B$ be subsets of the integers, and let $A + B$ be the set containing all sums of the form $a + b$, where $a$ is an element of $A$, and $b$ is an element of $B$. For example, if $A = \{0, 4, 5\}$ and $B =\{-3,-1, 2, 6\}$, then $A + B = \{-3,-1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11\}$. If $A$ has $1955$ elements and $B$ has $1891$ elements, compute the smallest possible number of elements in $A + B$. [b]p4.[/b] Compute the sum of all integers of the form $p^n$ where $p$ is a prime, $n \ge 3$, and $p^n \le 1000$. [b]p5.[/b] In a season of interhouse athletics at Caltech, each of the eight houses plays each other house in a particular sport. Suppose one of the houses has a $1/3$ chance of beating each other house. If the results of the games are independent, compute the probability that they win at least three games in a row. [b]p6.[/b] A positive integer $n$ is special if there are exactly $2010$ positive integers smaller than $n$ and relatively prime to $n$. Compute the sum of all special numbers. [b]p7.[/b] Eight friends are playing informal games of ultimate frisbee. For each game, they split themselves up into two teams of four. They want to arrange the teams so that, at the end of the day, each pair of players has played at least one game on the same team. Determine the smallest number of games they need to play in order to achieve this. [b]p8.[/b] Compute the number of ways to choose five nonnegative integers $a, b, c, d$, and $e$, such that $a + b + c + d + e = 20$. [b]p9.[/b] Is $23$ a square mod $41$? Is $15$ a square mod $41$? [b]p10.[/b] Let $\phi (n)$ be the number of positive integers less than or equal to $n$ that are relatively prime to $n$. Compute $ \sum_{d|15015} \phi (d)$. [b]p11.[/b] Compute the largest possible volume of an regular tetrahedron contained in a cube with volume $1$. [b]p12.[/b] Compute the number of ways to cover a $4 \times 4$ grid with dominoes. [b]p13.[/b] A collection of points is called mutually equidistant if the distance between any two of them is the same. For example, three mutually equidistant points form an equilateral triangle in the plane, and four mutually equidistant points form a regular tetrahedron in three-dimensional space. Let $A$, $B$, $C$, $D$, and $E$ be five mutually equidistant points in four-dimensional space. Let $P$ be a point such that $AP = BP = CP = DP = EP = 1$. Compute the side length $AB$. [b]p14. [/b]Ten turtles live in a pond shaped like a $10$-gon. Because it's a sunny day, all the turtles are sitting in the sun, one at each vertex of the pond. David decides he wants to scare all the turtles back into the pond. When he startles a turtle, it dives into the pond. Moreover, any turtles on the two neighbouring vertices also dive into the pond. However, if the vertex opposite the startled turtle is empty, then a turtle crawls out of the pond and sits at that vertex. Compute the minimum number of times David needs to startle a turtle so that, by the end, all but one of the turtles are in the pond. [b]p15.[/b] The game hexapawn is played on a $3 \times 3$ chessboard. Each player starts with three pawns on the row nearest him or her. The players take turns moving their pawns. Like in chess, on a player's turn he or she can either $\bullet$ move a pawn forward one space if that square is empty, or $\bullet$ capture an opponent's pawn by moving his or her own pawn diagonally forward one space into the opponent's pawn's square. A player wins when either $\bullet$ he or she moves a pawn into the last row, or $\bullet$ his or her opponent has no legal moves. Eve and Fred are going to play hexapawn. However, they're not very good at it. Each turn, they will pick a legal move at random with equal probability, with one exception: If some move will immediately win the game (by either of the two winning conditions), then he or she will make that move, even if other moves are available. If Eve moves first, compute the probability that she will win. PS. You had better use hide for answers. Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].

Vitya and Masha are playing a game. At first, Vitya thinks of three different integers. In one move Masha can ask one of the following three numbers: the sum of the numbers, the product of the numbers or the sum of pairwise products of the numbers. Masha asks questions and Vitya immediately answers before Masha asks the next question. a) Prove that Masha can always guess Vitya's numbers. b) What is the least amount of questions Masha needs to ask to guaranteely guess them?

A sequence of integers $\{f(n)\}$ for $n=0,1,2,\ldots$ is defined as follows: $f(0)=0$ and for $n>0$, $$\begin{matrix}f(n)=&f(n-1)+3,&\text{if }n=0\text{ or }1\pmod6,\\&f(n-1)+1,&\text{if }n=2\text{ or }5\pmod6,\\&f(n-1)+2,&\text{if }n=3\text{ or }4\pmod6.\end{matrix}$$Derive an explicit formula for $f(n)$ when $n\equiv0\pmod6$, showing all necessary details in your derivation.

Prove that if $ a > 0 $, $ b > 0 $, $ c > 0 $, then the inequality holds $$ ab (a + b) + bc (b + c) + ca (c + a) \geq 6abc.$$

The sequence \[\log_{12}{162},\, \log_{12}{x},\, \log_{12}{y},\, \log_{12}{z},\, \log_{12}{1250}\] is an arithmetic progression. What is $x$? $ \textbf{(A)} \ 125\sqrt{3} \qquad \textbf{(B)} \ 270 \qquad \textbf{(C)} \ 162\sqrt{5} \qquad \textbf{(D)} \ 434 \qquad \textbf{(E)} \ 225\sqrt{6}$

Prove that for positive reals $a,b,c$, \[\frac{8a^2+2ab}{(b+\sqrt{6ac}+3c)^2}+\frac{2b^2+3bc}{(3c+\sqrt{2ab}+2a)^2}+\frac{18c^2+6ac}{(2a+\sqrt{3bc}+b})^2\geq 1\]

The positive numbers $a_1, a_2, \ldots , a_{2024}$ are placed on a circle clockwise in this order. Let $A_i$ be the arithmetic mean of the number $a_i$ and one or several following it clockwise. Prove that the largest of the numbers $A_1, A_2, \ldots , A_{2024}$ is not less than the arithmetic mean of all numbers $a_1, a_2, \ldots , a_{2024}$.

Find all real solutions of $\sqrt[4]{13+x}+ \sqrt[4]{14-x} = 3$.

Let $x_0 = [a], x_1 = [2a] - [a], x_2 = [3a] - [2a], x_3 = [3a] - [4a],x_4 = [5a] - [4a],x_5 = [6a] - [5a], . . . , $ where $a=\frac{\sqrt{2013}}{\sqrt{2014}}$ .The value of $x_9$ is: (A): $2$ (B): $3$ (C): $4$ (D): $5$ (E): None of the above.

Two players take turns writing down all proper non-decreasing fractions with denominators from $1 $ to $1999$ and at the same time writing a "$+$" sign before each fraction. After all such fractions are written out, their sum is found. If this amount is an integer number, then the one who made the entry last wins, otherwise his opponent wins. Who will be able to secure a win?

Prove that the polynomial \[ f(x) \equal{} \frac {x^n \plus{} x^m \minus{} 2}{x^{\gcd(m,n)} \minus{} 1}\] is irreducible over $ \mathbb{Q}$ for all integers $ n > m > 0$.