For a positive integer $m$ denote by $S(m)$ and $P(m)$ the sum and product, respectively, of the digits of $m$. Show that for each positive integer $n$, there exist positive integers $a_1, a_2, \ldots, a_n$ satisfying the following conditions: \[ S(a_1) < S(a_2) < \cdots < S(a_n) \text{ and } S(a_i) = P(a_{i+1}) \quad (i=1,2,\ldots,n). \] (We let $a_{n+1} = a_1$.) [i]Problem Committee of the Japan Mathematical Olympiad Foundation[/i]

The sequence $(a_n)$ is defined by $a_0 = 0$ and $a_{n+1} = [\sqrt[3]{a_n +n}]^3$ for $n \ge 0$. (a) Find $a_n$ in terms of $n$. (b) Find all $n$ for which $a_n = n$.

$P(x)$ is a polynomial of degree $3n$ such that \begin{eqnarray*} P(0) = P(3) = \cdots &=& P(3n) = 2, \\ P(1) = P(4) = \cdots &=& P(3n-2) = 1, \\ P(2) = P(5) = \cdots &=& P(3n-1) = 0, \quad\text{ and }\\ && P(3n+1) = 730.\end{eqnarray*} Determine $n$.

Does there exist a function $f:\mathbb{N}\rightarrow\mathbb{N}$ such that \[f(f(n-1)=f(n+1)-f(n)\quad\text{for all}\ n\ge 2\text{?} \]

Determine functions $f : \mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R},$ with property that \[ f(f(x)) + y \cdot f(x) \le x + x \cdot f(f(y)), \] for every $x$ and $y$ are real numbers.

Let $a$ and $b$ be real, positive and distinct numbers. We consider the set: \[M=\{ ax+by\mid x,y\in\mathbb{R},\ x>0,\ y>0,\ x+y=1\} \] Prove that: (i) $\frac{2ab}{a+b}\in M;$ (ii) $\sqrt{ab}\in M.$

Prove that there is no function $f : Z \to Z$ such that $f(f(x)) = x+1$ for all $x$.

Given an integer $n\geq 2$, determine all non-constant polynomials $f$ with complex coefficients satisfying the condition \[1+f(X^n+1)=f(X)^n.\]

[b]p1.[/b] Twelve people, three of whom are in the Mafia and one of whom is a police inspector, randomly sit around a circular table. What is the probability that the inspector ends up sitting next to at least one of the Mafia? [b]p2.[/b] Of the positive integers between $1$ and $1000$, inclusive, how many of them contain neither the digit “$4$” nor the digit “$7$”? [b]p3.[/b] You are really bored one day and decide to invent a variation of chess. In your variation, you create a new piece called the “krook,” which, on any given turn, can move either one square up or down, or one square left or right. If you have a krook at the bottom-left corner of the chessboard, how many different ways can the krook reach the top-right corner of the chessboard in exactly $17$ moves? [b]p4.[/b] Let $p$ be a prime number. What is the smallest positive integer that has exactly $p$ different positive integer divisors? Write your answer as a formula in terms of $p$. [b]p5.[/b] You make the square $\{(x, y)| - 5 \le x \le 5, -5 \le y \le 5\}$ into a dartboard as follows: (i) If a player throws a dart and its distance from the origin is less than one unit, then the player gets $10$ points. (ii) If a player throws a dart and its distance from the origin is between one and three units, inclusive, then the player gets awarded a number of points equal to the number of the quadrant that the dart landed on. (The player receives no points for a dart that lands on the coordinate axes in this case.) (iii) If a player throws a dart and its distance from the origin is greater than three units, then the player gets $0$ points. If a person throws three darts and each hits the board randomly (i.e with uniform distribution), what is the expected value of the score that they will receive? [b]p6.[/b] Teddy works at Please Forget Meat, a contemporary vegetarian pizza chain in the city of Gridtown, as a deliveryman. Please Forget Meat (PFM) has two convenient locations, marked with “$X$” and “$Y$ ” on the street map of Gridtown shown below. Teddy, who is currently at $X$, needs to deliver an eggplant pizza to $\nabla$ en route to $Y$ , where he is urgently needed. There is currently construction taking place at $A$, $B$, and $C$, so those three intersections will be completely impassable. How many ways can Teddy get from $X$ to $Y$ while staying on the roads (Traffic tickets are expensive!), not taking paths that are longer than necessary (Gas is expensive!), and that let him pass through $\nabla$ (Losing a job is expensive!)? [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/e/0/d4952e923dc97596ad354ed770e80f979740bc.png[/img] [b]p7.[/b] $x, y$, and $z$ are positive real numbers that satisfy the following three equations: $$x +\frac{1}{y}= 4 \,\,\,\,\, y +\frac{1}{z}= 1\,\,\,\,\, z +\frac{1}{x}=\frac73.$$ Compute $xyz$. [b]p8.[/b] Alan, Ben, and Catherine will all start working at the Duke University Math Department on January $1$st, $2009$. Alan’s work schedule is on a four-day cycle; he starts by working for three days and then takes one day off. Ben’s work schedule is on a seven-day cycle; he starts by working for five days and then takes two days off. Catherine’s work schedule is on a ten-day cycle; she starts by working for seven days and then takes three days off. On how many days in $2009$ will none of the three be working? [b]p9.[/b] $x$ and $y$ are complex numbers such that $x^3 + y^3 = -16$ and $(x + y)^2 = xy$. What is the value of $|x + y|$? [b]p10.[/b] Call a four-digit number “well-meaning” if (1) its second digit is the mean of its first and its third digits and (2) its third digit is the mean of its second and fourth digits. How many well-meaning four-digit numbers are there? (For a four-digit number, its first digit is its thousands [leftmost] digit and its fourth digit is its units [rightmost] digit. Also, four-digit numbers cannot have “$0$” as their first digit.) [b]p11.[/b] Suppose that $\theta$ is a real number such that $\sum^{\infty}{k=2} \sin \left(2^k\theta \right)$ is well-defined and equal to the real number $a$. Compute: $$\sum^{\infty}{k=0} \left(\cot^3 \left(2^k\theta \right)-\cot \left(2^k\theta \right) \right) \sin^4 \left(2^k\theta \right).$$ Write your answer as a formula in terms of $a$. [b]p12.[/b] You have $13$ loaded coins; the probability that they come up as heads are $\cos\left( \frac{0\pi}{24 }\right)$,$ \cos\left( \frac{1\pi}{24 }\right)$, $\cos\left( \frac{2\pi}{24 }\right)$, $...$, $\cos\left( \frac{11\pi}{24 }\right)$ and $\cos\left( \frac{12\pi}{24 }\right)$, respectively. You throw all $13$ of these coins in the air at once. What is the probability that an even number of them come up as heads? [b]p13.[/b] Three married couples sit down on a long bench together in random order. What is the probability that none of the husbands sit next to their respective wives? [b]p14.[/b] What is the smallest positive integer that has at least $25$ different positive divisors? [b]p15.[/b] Let $A_1$ be any three-element set, $A_2 = \{\emptyset\}$, and $A_3 = \emptyset$. For each $i \in \{1, 2, 3\}$, let: (i) $B_i = \{\emptyset,A_i\}$, (ii) $C_i$ be the set of all subsets of $B_i$, (iii) $D_i = B_i \cup C_i$, and (iv) $k_i$ be the number of different elements in $D_i$. Compute $k_1k_2k_3$. PS. You had better use hide for answers. Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].

For function $ f: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$ given that $ f(x^2 +x +3) +2 \cdot f(x^2 - 3x + 5) = 6x^2 - 10x +17$, calculate $ f(2009)$.

Suppose $\alpha, \beta$ are two positive rational numbers. Assume for some positive integers $m,n$, it is known that $\alpha^{\frac 1n}+\beta^{\frac 1m}$ is a rational number. Prove that each of $\alpha^{\frac 1n}$ and $\beta^{\frac 1m}$ is a rational number.

Find all real numbers $a, b, c$ that satisfy $$ 2a - b =a^2b, \qquad 2b-c = b^2 c, \qquad 2c-a= c^2 a.$$

Prove that the numbers from $1$ to $ 15$ cannot be divided into two groups: $A$ of $2$ numbers and $B$ of $13$ numbers such that the sum of the numbers in group $B$ is equal to product of numbers in group $A$.

Let $n \geq 2$ be a positive integer and $a_{1},\ldots , a_{n}$ be positive real numbers such that $a_{1}+...+a_{n}= 1$. Prove that: \[\frac{a_{1}}{1+a_{2}+\cdots +a_{n}}+\cdots +\frac{a_{n}}{1+a_{1}+a_{2}+\cdots +a_{n-1}}\geq \frac{n}{2n-1}\]

Prove that: (a) if $y<\frac12$ and $n\ge3$ is a natural number then $(y+1)^n\ge y^n+(1+2y)^\frac n2$; (b) if $x,y,z$ and $n\ge3$ are natural numbers for which $x^2-1\le2y$ then $x^n+y^n\ne z^n$.

Let $ f:\mathbb{Z}_{>0}\rightarrow\mathbb{R} $ be a function such that for all $n > 1$ there is a prime divisor $p$ of $n$ such that \[ f(n)=f\left(\frac{n}{p}\right)-f(p). \] Furthermore, it is given that $ f(2^{2014})+f(3^{2015})+f(5^{2016})=2013 $. Determine $ f(2014^2)+f(2015^3)+f(2016^5) $.

For $a, b > 0$, denote by $t(a,b)$ the positive root of the equation $$(a+b)x^2-2(ab-1)x-(a+b) = 0.$$ Let $M = \{ (a.b) | \, a \ne b \,\,\, and \,\,\,t(a,b) \le \sqrt{ab} \}$ Determine, for $(a, b)\in M$, the mmimum value of $t(a,b)$.

Prove that the polynomial $z^{2n} + z^n + 1\ (n \in \mathbb{N})$ is divisible by the polynomial $z^2 + z + 1$ if and only if $n$ is not a multiple of $3$.

Find minimum of $x+y+z$ where $x$, $y$ and $z$ are real numbers such that $x \geq 4$, $y \geq 5$, $z \geq 6$ and $x^2+y^2+z^2 \geq 90$

Let $f : \mathbb N \to \mathbb N$ be an injective function such that there exists a positive integer $k$ for which $f(n) \leq n^k$. Prove that there exist infinitely many primes $q$ such that the equation $f(x) \equiv 0 \pmod q$ has a solution in prime numbers.

Find all real solutions to $ x^3 \minus{} 3x^2 \minus{} 8x \plus{} 40 \minus{} 8\sqrt[4]{4x \plus{} 4} \equal{} 0$

Let $\dbinom{n}{k}$ denote the binomial coefficient $\frac{n!}{k!(n-k)!}$ , and $F_m$ be the $m^{th}$ Fibonacci number given by $F_1=F_2=1$ and $F_{m+2}=F_m+F_{m+1}$ for all $m\geq 1$. Show that $\sum \dbinom{n}{k}=F_{m+1}$ for all $m\geq 1$ . Here the above sum is over all pairs of integers $n\geq k\geq 0$ with $n+k=m$ .

Let $x, y, z$ be real numbers satisfying $x+y+z=0$ and $x^2+y^2+z^2=6$. Find the maximum value of \[ |(x-y)(y-z)(z-x) | \]

Find the largest value that the expression can take $a^3b + b^3a$ where $a, b$ are non-negative real numbers, with $a + b = 3$.

Solve the equation $$2\sqrt{1+x\sqrt{1+(x+1)\sqrt{1+(x+2)\sqrt{1+(x+3)(x+5)}}}}=x$$