(a) Find two real numebrs $a,b$ such that $|ax+b-\sqrt{x}| \le \frac{1}{24}$ for $1 \le x \le 4$. (b) Prove that the constant $\frac{1}{24}$ cannot be replaced by a smaller one.

Given real numbers $a, b$, find all functions $f: R \to R$ satisfying $f(x,y) = af (x,z) + bf(y,z)$ for all $x,y,z \in R$.

Find $ \inf_{z\in\mathbb{C}} \left( |z^2+z+1|+|z^2-z+1| \right) . $ [i]Gheorghe Andrei[/i] and [i]Doru Constantin Caragea[/i]

[b]p1.[/b] Elsie M. is fixing a watch with three gears. Gear $A$ makes a full rotation every $5$ minutes, gear $B$ makes a full rotation every $8$ minutes, and gear $C$ makes a full rotation every $12$ minutes. The gears continue spinning until all three gears are in their original positions at the same time. How many minutes will it take for the gears to stop spinning? [b]p2.[/b] Optimus has to pick $10$ distinct numbers from the set of positive integers $\{2, 3, 4,..., 29, 30\}$. Denote the numbers he picks by $\{a_1, a_2, ...,a_{10}\}$. What is the least possible value of $$d(a_1 ) + d(a_2) + ... + d(a_{10}),$$ where $d(n)$ denotes the number of positive integer divisors of $n$? For example, $d(33) = 4$ since $1$, $3$, $11$, and $33$ divide $33$. [b]p3.[/b] Michael is given a large supply of both $1\times 3$ and $1\times 5$ dominoes and is asked to arrange some of them to form a $6\times 13$ rectangle with one corner square removed. What is the minimum number of $1\times 3$ dominoes that Michael can use? [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/6/6/c6a3ef7325ecee417e37ec9edb5374aceab9fd.png[/img] [b]p4.[/b] Andy, Ben, and Chime are playing a game. The probabilities that each player wins the game are, respectively, the roots $a$, $b$, and $c$ of the polynomial $x^3 - x^2 + \frac{111}{400}x - \frac{9}{400} = 0$ with $a \le b \le c$. If they play the game twice, what is the probability of the same player winning twice? [b]p5.[/b] TongTong is doodling in class and draws a $3 \times 3$ grid. She then decides to color some (that is, at least one) of the squares blue, such that no two $1 \times 1$ squares that share an edge or a corner are both colored blue. In how many ways may TongTong color some of the squares blue? TongTong cannot rotate or reflect the board. [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/6/0/4b4b95a67d51fda0f155657d8295b0791b3034.png[/img] [b]p6.[/b] Given a positive integer $n$, we define $f(n)$ to be the smallest possible value of the expression $$| \square 1 \square 2 ... \square n|,$$ where we may place a $+$ or a $-$ sign in each box. So, for example, $f(3) = 0$, since $| + 1 + 2 - 3| = 0$. What is $f(1) + f(2) + ... + f(2011)$? [b]p7.[/b] The Duke Men's Basketball team plays $11$ home games this season. For each game, the team has a $\frac34$ probability of winning, except for the UNC game, which Duke has a $\frac{9}{10}$ probability of winning. What is the probability that Duke wins an odd number of home games this season? [b]p8.[/b] What is the sum of all integers $n$ such that $n^2 + 2n + 2$ divides $n^3 + 4n^2 + 4n - 14$? [b]p9.[/b] Let $\{a_n\}^N_{n=1}$ be a finite sequence of increasing positive real numbers with $a_1 < 1$ such that $$a_{n+1} = a_n \sqrt{1 - a^2_1}+ a_1\sqrt{1 - a^2_n}$$ and $a_{10} = 1/2$. What is $a_{20}$? [b]p10.[/b] Three congruent circles are placed inside a unit square such that they do not overlap. What is the largest possible radius of one of these circles? PS. You had better use hide for answers. Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].

Let \(\mathbb R_{>0}\) denote the set of positive real numbers and \(\mathbb R_{\ge0}\) the set of nonnegative real numbers. Find all functions \(f:\mathbb R\times \mathbb R_{>0}\to \mathbb R_{\ge0}\) such that for all real numbers \(a\), \(b\), \(x\), \(y\) with \(x,y>0\), we have \[f(a,x)+f(b,y)=f(a+b,x+y)+f(ay-bx,xy(x+y)).\] [i]Proposed by Luke Robitaille[/i]

Let $ a_{ij}$ be nonnegative integers such that $ a_{ij}\equal{}0$ if and only if $ i>j$ and that $ \displaystyle\sum_{j\equal{}1}^{1988}a_{ij}\equal{}1988$ holds for all $ i\equal{}1,...,1988$. Find all real solutions of the system of equations: $ \displaystyle\sum_{j\equal{}1}^{1988} (1\plus{}a_{ij})x_j\equal{}i\plus{}1, 1 \le i \le 1988$.

$a_1,a_2,a_3,\dots$ and $b_1,b_2,b_3,\dots$ are sequences of positive integers. Show that we can find $m < n$ such that $a_m \leq a_n$ and $b_m \leq b_n$.

Find all values of $a$ such that the two polynomials \[x^2+ax-1\qquad\text{and}\qquad x^2-x+a\] share at least 1 root. [i]2018 CCA Math Bonanza Individual Round #7[/i]

Determine $ Q \in \mathbb{R}$ which is so big that a sequence with non-negative reals elements $ a_1 ,a_2, \ldots$ which satisfies the following two conditions: [b](i)[/b] $ \forall m,n \geq 1$ we have $ a_{m \plus{} n} \leq 2 \left(a_m \plus{} a_n \right)$ [b](ii)[/b] $ \forall k \geq 0$ we have $ a_{2^k} \leq \frac {1}{(k \plus{} 1)^{2008}}$ such that for each sequence element we have the inequality $ a_n \leq Q.$

Find all finite sets $M \subset R$ containing at least two elements such that $(2a/3 -b^2) \in M$ for any two different elements $a,b \in M$.

i) Simplify $\left(a-\frac{4ab}{a+b}+b\right): \left(\frac{a}{a+b}-\frac{b}{b-a}-\frac{2ab}{a^2-b^2}\right)$ ii) Simplify $\frac{2x^2-(3a+b)x+a^2+ab}{2x^2-(a+3b)x+ab+b^2}$

Find all positive integers $d$ for which there exists a degree $d$ polynomial $P$ with real coefficients such that there are at most $d$ different values among $P(0),P(1),P(2),\cdots,P(d^2-d)$ .

Let $f$ be any function that maps the set of real numbers into the set of real numbers. Prove that there exist real numbers $x$ and $y$ such that \[f\left(x-f(y)\right)>yf(x)+x\] [i]Proposed by Igor Voronovich, Belarus[/i]

Let $r_{1},r_{2},\ldots ,r_{n}$ be real numbers greater than or equal to 1. Prove that \[ \frac{1}{r_{1} + 1} + \frac{1}{r_{2} + 1} + \cdots +\frac{1}{r_{n}+1} \geq \frac{n}{ \sqrt[n]{r_{1}r_{2} \cdots r_{n}}+1}. \]

[b]8.1[/b] A $24 \times 60$ rectangle is divided by lines parallel to it sides, into unit squares. Draw another straight line so that after that the rectangle was divided into the largest possible number of parts. [b]8.2[/b] Engineers always tell the truth, but businessmen always lie. F and G are engineers. A declares that, B asserts that, C asserts that, D says that, E insists that, F denies that G is an businessman. C also announces that D is a businessman. If A is a businessman, then how much total businessmen in this company? [b]8.3 [/b]There is a straight road through the field. A tourist stands on the road at a point ?. It can walk along the road at a speed of 6 km/h and across the field at a speed of 3 km/h. Find the locus of the points where the tourist can get there within an hour's walk. [b]8.4 / 7.5 [/b] Let $ [A]$ denote the largest integer not greater than $A$. Solve the equation: $[(5 + 6x)/8] = (15x-7)/5$ . [b]8.5.[/b] In some state, every two cities are connected by a road. Each road is only allowed to move in one direction. Prove that there is a city from which you can travel around everything. state, having visited each city exactly once. [b]8.6[/b] Find all eights of prime numbers such that the sum of the squares of the numbers in the eight is 992 less than their quadruple product. [hide=original wording]Найдите все восьмерки простых чисел такие, что сумма квадратов чисел в восьмерке на 992 меньше, чем их учетверенное произведение.[/hide] PS. You should use hide for answers.Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c3988081_1965_leningrad_math_olympiad]here[/url].

Solve the system \begin{align*} 36x^2y-27y^3&~=~8,\\ 4x^3-27xy^2&~=~4.\end{align*}

Where $n$ is a positive integer, the sequence $a_n$ is determined by the formula $$a_{n+1}=\frac{1}{a_1 + a_2 +... + a_n} -\sqrt2, \,a_1 = 1.$$ Find the limit of the sequence $S_n$ defined by $S_n=a_1 + a_2 +... + a_n$.

Show that for any natural number n, n^3 + (n + 1)^3 + (n + 2)^3 is divisible by 9.

Let $a, b, c$ be positive reals. Prove that $$\left(\frac{a}{a+b}\right)^2+\left(\frac{b}{b+c}\right)^2+\left(\frac{c}{c+a}\right)^2\ge \frac34$$

A sequence $a_1, a_2, a_3, . . . , a_{100}$ of $100$ (not necessarily distinct) positive numbers satisfy that the$ 99$ fractions$$\frac{a_1}{a_2},\frac{a_2}{a_3},\frac{a3}{a_4}, ... ,\frac{a_{99}}{a_{100}}$$ are all distinct. How many distinct numbers must there be, at least, in the sequence $a_1, a_2, a_3, . . . , a_{100}$?

The expression $\sin2^\circ\sin4^\circ\sin6^\circ\cdots\sin90^\circ$ is equal to $p\sqrt{5}/2^{50}$, where $p$ is an integer. Find $p$.

Solve the equation $$x(2^{1-2x}-1)=2^{x-2x^2}-1$$

Solve in the interval $ (2,\infty ) $ the following equation: $$ 1=\cos\left( \pi\log_3 (x+6)\right)\cdot\cos\left( \pi\log_3 (x-2)\right) . $$

Let $A(x,y)$ be the number of points $(m,n)$ in the plane with integer coordinates $m$ and $n$ satisfying $m^2+n^2\le x^2+y^2$. Let $g=\sum_{k=1}^\infty e^{-k^2}$. Express $$\int^\infty_{-\infty}\int^\infty_{-\infty}A(x,y)e^{-x^2-y^2}dxdy$$ as a polynomial in $g$.

Let $\{a_n\}$ be a sequence of integers such that $a_1=2016$ and \[\dfrac{a_{n-1}+a_n}2=n^2-n+1\] for all $n\geq 1$. Compute $a_{100}$. [i]Proposed by David Altizio[/i]