This website contains problems from math contests. Problems and corresponding tags were obtained from the Art of Problem Solving website.

Tags were heavily modified to better represent problems.

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Found problems: 15925

2013 BMT Spring, P1

Prove that for all positive integers $m$ and $n$, $$\frac1m\cdot\binom{2n}0-\frac1{m+1}\cdot\binom{2n}1+\frac1{m+2}\cdot\binom{2n}2-\ldots+\frac1{m+2n}\cdot\binom{2n}{n2}>0$$

1998 IberoAmerican Olympiad For University Students, 5

A sequence of polynomials $\{f_n\}_{n=0}^{\infty}$ is defined recursively by $f_0(x)=1$, $f_1(x)=1+x$, and \[(k+1)f_{k+1}(x)-(x+1)f_k(x)+(x-k)f_{k-1}(x)=0, \quad k=1,2,\ldots\] Prove that $f_k(k)=2^k$ for all $k\geq 0$.

1976 Polish MO Finals, 2

Four sequences of real numbers $(a_n), (b_n), (c_n), (d_n)$ satisfy for all $n$, $$a_{n+1} = a_n +b_n, b_{n+1} = b_n +c_n,$$ $$c_{n+1} = c_n +d_n, d_{n+1} = d_n +a_n.$$ Prove that if $a_{k+m} = a_m, b_{k+m} = b_m, c_{k+m} = c_m, d_{k+m} = d_m$ for some $k\ge 1,n \ge 1$, then $a_2 = b_2 = c_2 = d_2 = 0$.

2019 South East Mathematical Olympiad, 1

Tags: algebra
Let $[a]$ represent the largest integer less than or equal to $a$, for any real number $a$. Let $\{a\} = a - [a]$. Are there positive integers $m,n$ and $n+1$ real numbers $x_0,x_1,\hdots,x_n$ such that $x_0=428$, $x_n=1928$, $\frac{x_{k+1}}{10} = \left[\frac{x_k}{10}\right] + m + \left\{\frac{x_k}{5}\right\}$ holds? Justify your answer.

2015 AIME Problems, 6

Steve says to Jon, "I am thinking of a polynomial whose roots are all positive integers. The polynomial has the form $P(x)=2x^3-2ax^2+(a^2-81)x-c$ for some positive integers $a$ and $c$. Can you tell me the values of $a$ and $c$?" After some calculations, Jon says, "There is more than one such polynomial." Steve says, "You’re right. Here is the value of $a$." He writes down a positive integer and asks, "Can you tell me the value of $c$?" Jon says, "There are still two possible values of $c$." Find the sum of the two possible values of $c$.

2011 Brazil Team Selection Test, 4

Denote by $\mathbb{Q}^+$ the set of all positive rational numbers. Determine all functions $f : \mathbb{Q}^+ \mapsto \mathbb{Q}^+$ which satisfy the following equation for all $x, y \in \mathbb{Q}^+:$ \[f\left( f(x)^2y \right) = x^3 f(xy).\] [i]Proposed by Thomas Huber, Switzerland[/i]

1993 IMO Shortlist, 5

$a > 0$ and $b$, $c$ are integers such that $ac$ – $b^2$ is a square-free positive integer P. [hide="For example"] P could be $3*5$, but not $3^2*5$.[/hide] Let $f(n)$ be the number of pairs of integers $d, e$ such that $ad^2 + 2bde + ce^2= n$. Show that$f(n)$ is finite and that $f(n) = f(P^{k}n)$ for every positive integer $k$. [b]Original Statement:[/b] Let $a,b,c$ be given integers $a > 0,$ $ac-b^2 = P = P_1 \cdots P_n$ where $P_1 \cdots P_n$ are (distinct) prime numbers. Let $M(n)$ denote the number of pairs of integers $(x,y)$ for which \[ ax^2 + 2bxy + cy^2 = n. \] Prove that $M(n)$ is finite and $M(n) = M(P_k \cdot n)$ for every integer $k \geq 0.$ Note that the "$n$" in $P_N$ and the "$n$" in $M(n)$ do not have to be the same.

2001 Tournament Of Towns, 1

Tags: algebra
In a certain country $10\%$ of the employees get $90\%$ of the total salary paid in this country. Supposing that the country is divided in several regions, is it possible that in every region the total salary of any 10% of the employees is no greater than $11\%$ of the total salary paid in this region?

2013 Saudi Arabia IMO TST, 1

Tags: min , max , algebra , inequalities
Find the maximum and the minimum values of $S = (1 - x_1)(1 -y_1) + (1 - x_2)(1 - y_2)$ for real numbers $x_1, x_2, y_1,y_2$ with $x_1^2 + x_2^2 = y_1^2 + y_2^2 = 2013$.

2017 Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament, 3

Tags: algebra
[b]E[/b]milia wishes to create a basic solution with 7% hydroxide (OH) ions. She has three solutions of different bases available: 10% rubidium hydroxide (Rb(OH)), 8% cesium hydroxide (Cs(OH)), and 5% francium hydroxide (Fr(OH)). (The Rb(OH) solution has both 10% Rb ions and 10% OH ions, and similar for the other solutions.) Since francium is highly radioactive, its concentration in the final solution should not exceed 2%. What is the highest possible concentration of rubidium in her solution?

2013 Saudi Arabia Pre-TST, 1.1

Let $-1 \le x, y \le 1$. Prove the inequality $$2\sqrt{(1- x^2)(1 - y^2) } \le 2(1 - x)(1 - y) + 1 $$

2010 China Team Selection Test, 3

Given integer $n\geq 2$ and real numbers $x_1,x_2,\cdots, x_n$ in the interval $[0,1]$. Prove that there exist real numbers $a_0,a_1,\cdots,a_n$ satisfying the following conditions: (1) $a_0+a_n=0$; (2) $|a_i|\leq 1$, for $i=0,1,\cdots,n$; (3) $|a_i-a_{i-1}|=x_i$, for $i=1,2,\cdots,n$.

1987 Traian Lălescu, 1.1

Tags: algebra , function
Let $ a\in\mathbb{R}. $ Prove the following proposition: $$ \left( x,y\in\mathbb{R}\implies x^4+y^4+axy+2\ge 0 \right)\iff |a|\le 4. $$

2024 Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament, 8

Let $\zeta = \cos \frac {2pi}{13} + i \sin \frac {2pi}{13}$ . Suppose $a > b > c > d$ are positive integers satisfying $$|\zeta^a + \zeta^b + \zeta^c +\zeta^d| =\sqrt3.$$ Compute the smallest possible value of $1000a + 100b + 10c + d$.

2015 Romania Team Selection Tests, 3

Given a positive real number $t$ , determine the sets $A$ of real numbers containing $t$ , for which there exists a set $B$ of real numbers depending on $A$ , $|B| \geq 4$ , such that the elements of the set $AB =\{ ab \mid a\in A , b \in B \}$ form a finite arithmetic progression .

2020 ABMC, 2020 Oct

[b]p1.[/b] Catherine's teacher thinks of a number and asks her to subtract $5$ and then multiply the result by $6$. Catherine accidentally switches the numbers by subtracting 6 and multiplying by $5$ to get $30$. If Catherine had not swapped the numbers, what would the correct answer be? [b]p2.[/b] At Acton Boxborough Regional High School, desks are arranged in a rectangular grid-like configuration. In order to maintain proper social distancing, desks are required to be at least 6 feet away from all other desks. Assuming that the size of the desks is negligible, what is the maximum number of desks that can fit in a $25$ feet by $25$ feet classroom? [b]p3.[/b] Joshua hates writing essays for homework, but his teacher Mr. Meesh assigns two essays every $3$ weeks. However, Mr. Meesh favors Joshua, so he allows Joshua to skip one essay out of every $4$ that are assigned. How many essays does Joshua have to write in a $24$-week school year? [b]p4.[/b] Libra likes to read, but she is easily distracted. If a page number is even, she reads the page twice. If a page number is an odd multiple of three, she skips it. Otherwise, she reads the page exactly once. If Libra's book is $405$ pages long, how many pages in total does she read if she starts on page $1$? (Reading the same page twice counts as two pages.) [b]p5.[/b] Let the GDP of an integer be its Greatest Divisor that is Prime. For example, the GDP of $14$ is $7$. Find the largest integer less than $100$ that has a GDP of $3$. [b]p6.[/b] As has been proven by countless scientific papers, the Earth is a flat circle. Bob stands at a point on the Earth such that if he walks in a straight line, the maximum possible distance he can travel before he falls off is $7$ miles, and the minimum possible distance he can travel before he falls off is $3$ miles. Then the Earth's area in square miles is $k\pi$ for some integer $k$. Compute $k$. [b]p7.[/b] Edward has $2$ magical eggs. Every minute, each magical egg that Edward has will double itself. But there's a catch. At the end of every minute, Edward's brother Eliot will come outside and smash one egg on his forehead, causing Edward to lose that egg permanently. For example, starting with $2$ eggs, after one minute there will be $3$ eggs, then $5$, $9$, and so on. After $1$ hour, the number of eggs can be expressed as $a^b + c$ for positive integers $a$, $b$, $c$ where $a > 1$, and $a$ and $c$ are as small as possible. Find $a + b + c$. [b]p8.[/b] Define a sequence of real numbers $a_1$, $a_2$, $a_3$, $..$, $a_{2019}$, $a_{2020}$ with the property that $a_n =\frac{a_{n-1} + a_n + a_{n+1}}{3}$ for all $n = 2$, $3$, $4$, $5$,$...$, $2018$, $2019$. Given that $a_1 = 1$ and $a_{1000} = 1999$, find $a_{2020}$. [b]p9.[/b] In $\vartriangle ABC$ with $AB = 10$ and $AC = 12$, points $D$ and $E$ lie on sides $\overline{AB}$ and $\overline{AC}$, respectively, such that $AD = 4$ and $AE = 5$. If the area of quadrilateral $BCED$ is $40$, find the area of $\vartriangle ADE$. [b]p10.[/b] A positive integer is called powerful if every prime in its prime factorization is raised to a power greater than or equal to $2$. How many positive integers less than 100 are powerful? [b]p11.[/b] Let integers $A,B < 10, 000$ be the populations of Acton and Boxborough, respectively. When $A$ is divided by $B$, the remainder is $1$. When $B$ is divided by $A$, the remainder is $2020$. If the sum of the digits of $A$ is $17$, find the total combined population of Acton and Boxborough. [b]p12.[/b] Let $a_1$, $a_2$, $...$, $a_n$ be an increasing arithmetic sequence of positive integers. Given $a_n - a_1 = 20$ and $a^2_n - a^2_{n-1} = 63$, find the sum of the terms in the arithmetic sequence. [b]p13.[/b] Bob rolls a cubical, an octahedral and a dodecahedral die ($6$, $8$ and $12$ sides respectively) numbered with the integers from $1$ to $6$, $1$ to $8$ and $1$ to $12$ respectively. If the probability that the sum of the numbers on the cubical and octahedral dice equals the number on the dodecahedral die can be written as $\frac{m}{n}$ , where $m, n$ are relatively prime positive integers, compute $n - m$. [b]p14.[/b] Let $\vartriangle ABC$ be inscribed in a circle with center $O$ with $AB = 13$, $BC = 14$, $AC = 15$. Let the foot of the perpendicular from $A$ to BC be $D$ and let $AO$ intersect $BC$ at $E$. Given the length of $DE$ can be expressed as $\frac{m}{n}$ where $m$, $n$ are relatively prime positive integers, find $m + n$. [b]p15.[/b] The set $S$ consists of the first $10$ positive integers. A collection of $10$ not necessarily distinct integers is chosen from $S$ at random. If a particular number is chosen more than once, all but one of its occurrences are removed. Call the set of remaining numbers $A$. Let $\frac{a}{b}$ be the expected value of the number of the elements in $A$, where $a, b$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find the reminder when $a + b$ is divided by $1000$. PS. You should use hide for answers. Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].

2012 Kyiv Mathematical Festival, 2

Positive numbers $x, y, z$ satisfy $x^2+y^2+z^2+xy+yz+zy \le 1$. Prove that $\big( \frac{1}{x}-1\big) \big( \frac{1}{y}-1\big)\big( \frac{1}{z}-1\big) \ge 9 \sqrt6 -19$.

2018 Brazil Team Selection Test, 5

Find all polynomials $P(x)$ with integer coefficients such that for all real numbers $s$ and $t$, if $P(s)$ and $P(t)$ are both integers, then $P(st)$ is also an integer.

2018 USA Team Selection Test, 3

Alice and Bob play a game. First, Alice secretly picks a finite set $S$ of lattice points in the Cartesian plane. Then, for every line $\ell$ in the plane which is horizontal, vertical, or has slope $+1$ or $-1$, she tells Bob the number of points of $S$ that lie on $\ell$. Bob wins if he can determine the set $S$. Prove that if Alice picks $S$ to be of the form \[S = \{(x, y) \in \mathbb{Z}^2 \mid m \le x^2 + y^2 \le n\}\] for some positive integers $m$ and $n$, then Bob can win. (Bob does not know in advance that $S$ is of this form.) [i]Proposed by Mark Sellke[/i]

2009 Indonesia TST, 3

Tags: algebra
Find all triples $ (x,y,z)$ of positive real numbers which satisfy $ 2x^3 \equal{} 2y(x^2 \plus{} 1) \minus{} (z^2 \plus{} 1)$; $ 2y^4 \equal{} 3z(y^2 \plus{} 1) \minus{} 2(x^2 \plus{} 1)$; $ 2z^5 \equal{} 4x(z^2 \plus{} 1) \minus{} 3(y^2 \plus{} 1)$.

1999 Korea - Final Round, 1

Tags: function , algebra
If the equation: $f(\frac{x-3}{x+1}) + f(\frac{3+x}{1-x}) = x$ holds true for all real x but $\pm 1$, find $f(x)$.

2021 Auckland Mathematical Olympiad, 4

Tags: algebra
Four cars participate in a rally on a circular racecourse. They start simultaneously from the same point and go with a constant (but different) speeds. It is known that any three of them meet at some point. Prove that all four of them will meet again at some point.

2016 Regional Olympiad of Mexico Southeast, 4

The diagonals of a convex quadrilateral $ABCD$ intersect in $E$. Let $S_1, S_2, S_3$ and $S_4$ the areas of the triangles $AEB, BEC, CED, DEA$ respectively. Prove that, if exists real numbers $w, x, y$ and $z$ such that $$S_1=x+y+xy, S_2=y+z+yz, S_3=w+z+wz, S_4=w+x+wx,$$ then $E$ is the midpoint of $AC$ or $E$ is the midpoint of $BD$.

2009 Mid-Michigan MO, 5-6

[b]p1.[/b] Anne purchased yesterday at WalMart in Puerto Rico $6$ identical notebooks, $8$ identical pens and $7$ identical erasers. Anne remembers that each eraser costs $73$ cents. She did not buy anything else. Anne told her mother that she spent $12$ dollars and $76$ cents at Walmart. Can she be right? Note that in Puerto Rico there is no sales tax. [b]p2.[/b] Two men ski one after the other first in a flat field and then uphill. In the field the men run with the same velocity $12$ kilometers/hour. Uphill their velocity drops to $8$ kilometers/hour. When both skiers enter the uphill trail segment the distance between them is $300$ meters less than the initial distance in the field. What was the initial distance between skiers? (There are $1000$ meters in 1 kilometer.) [b]p3.[/b] In the equality $** + **** = ****$ all the digits are replaced by $*$. Restore the equality if it is known that any numbers in the equality does not change if we write all its digits in the opposite order. [b]p4.[/b] If a polyleg has even number of legs he always tells truth. If he has an odd number of legs he always lies. Once a green polyleg told a dark-blue polyleg ”- I have $8$ legs. And you have only $6$ legs!” The offended dark-blue polyleg replied ”-It is me who has $8$ legs, and you have only $7$ legs!” A violet polyleg added ”-The dark-blue polyleg indeed has $8$ legs. But I have $9$ legs!” Then a stripped polyleg started: ”-None of you has $8$ legs. Only I have 8 legs!” Which polyleg has exactly $8$ legs? [b]p5.[/b] Cut the figure shown below in two equal pieces. (Both the area and the form of the pieces must be the same.) [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/e/4/778678c1e8748e213ffc94ba71b1f3cc26c028.png[/img] PS. You should use hide for answers. Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].

2006 USAMO, 3

For integral $m$, let $p(m)$ be the greatest prime divisor of $m.$ By convention, we set $p(\pm 1) = 1$ and $p(0) = \infty.$ Find all polynomials $f$ with integer coefficients such that the sequence \[ \{p \left( f \left( n^2 \right) \right) - 2n \}_{n \geq 0} \] is bounded above. (In particular, this requires $f \left (n^2 \right ) \neq 0$ for $n \geq 0.$)