A sequence of real numbers $a_1,a_2,\ldots$ satisfies the relation $$a_n=-\max_{i+j=n}(a_i+a_j)\qquad\text{for all}\quad n>2017.$$ Prove that the sequence is bounded, i.e., there is a constant $M$ such that $|a_n|\leq M$ for all positive integers $n$.

Prove that the polynomial $$P(x) = nx^{n+2} -(n + 2)x^{n+1} + (n + 2)x-n$$ is divisible by the polynomial $(x - 1)^3$.

Let $a>b>0$. Prove that $\sqrt2 a^3+ \frac{3}{ab-b^2}\ge 10$ When does equality hold?

Let $A$ be a real $n\times n$ Matrix and define $e^{A}=\sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac{A^{k}}{k!}$ Prove or disprove that for any real polynomial $P(x)$ and any real matrices $A,B$, $P(e^{AB})$ is nilpotent if and only if $P(e^{BA})$ is nilpotent.

Let $m,n$ be positive integers with $m \geq n$, and let $S$ be the set of all $n$-term sequences of positive integers $(a_1, a_2, \ldots a_n)$ such that $a_1 + a_2 + \cdots + a_n = m$. Show that \[\sum_S 1^{a_1} 2^{a_2} \cdots n^{a_n} = {n \choose n} n^m - {n \choose n-1} (n-1)^m + \cdots + (-1)^{n-2} {n \choose 2} 2^m + (-1)^{n-1} {n \choose 1}.\]

Given a complex number $z$ satisfies $\operatorname{Im}(z)=z^2-z$, find all possible values of $|z|$.

One day I went for a walk in the morning at $x$ minutes past $5'O$ clock, where $x$ is a 2 digit number. When I returned, it was $y$ minutes past $6'O$ clock, and I noticed that (i) I walked for exactly $x$ minutes and (ii) $y$ was a 2 digit number obtained by reversing the digits of $x$. How many minutes did I walk?

The remainder on dividing the polynomial $p(x)$ by $x^2 - (a+b)x + ab$ (where $a \not = b$) is $mx + n$. Find the coefficients $m, n$ in terms of $a, b$. Find $m, n$ for the case $p(x) = x^{200}$ divided by $x^2 - x - 2$ and show that they are integral.

If the arithmetic mean of $a$ and $b$ is double their geometric mean, with $a>b>0$, then a possible value for the ratio $\frac{a}{b}$, to the nearest integer, is $\textbf{(A)}\ 5 \qquad\textbf{(B)}\ 8 \qquad\textbf{(C)}\ 11 \qquad\textbf{(D)}\ 14 \qquad\textbf{(E)}\ \text{none of these} $

Determine all integers $n\ge1$ for which there exists $n$ real numbers $x_1,\ldots,x_n$ in the closed interval $[-4,2]$ such that the following three conditions are fulfilled: - the sum of these real numbers is at least $n$. - the sum of their squares is at most $4n$. - the sum of their fourth powers is at least $34n$. [i](Proposed by Gerhard Woeginger, Austria)[/i]

(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.

Let a,b, and c be positive reals. Prove: $\left(\frac{a}{b}+\frac{b}{c}+\frac{c}{a}\right)^{2}\ge (a+b+c)\left(\frac{1}{a}+\frac{1}{b}+\frac{1}{c}\right)$

Suppose that real numbers $x,y,z$ satisfy $$\frac{\cos x+\cos y+\cos z}{\cos(x+y+z)}=\frac{\sin x+\sin y+\sin z}{\sin(x+y+z)}=p.$$Prove that $\cos(x+y)+\cos(y+z)+\cos(x+z)=p$.

Show that there exists a positive real number $x\neq 2$ such that $\log_2x=\frac{x}{2}$. Hence obtain the set of real numbers $c$ such that \[\frac{\log_2x}{x}=c\] has only one real solution.

Suppose $x,y$ are nonnegative real numbers such that $x + y \le 1$. Prove that $8xy \le 5x(1 - x) + 5y(1 - y)$ and determine the cases of equality.

Find the smallest constant $C > 0$ for which the following statement holds: among any five positive real numbers $a_1,a_2,a_3,a_4,a_5$ (not necessarily distinct), one can always choose distinct subscripts $i,j,k,l$ such that \[ \left| \frac{a_i}{a_j} - \frac {a_k}{a_l} \right| \le C. \]

Carlos and Yue play the following game: First Carlos writes a $+$ sign or a $-$ sign in front of each of the $50$ numbers $1,2,\cdots,50$. Then, in turns, each one chooses a number from the sequence obtained; Start by choosing Yue. If the absolute value of the sum of the $25$ numbers that Carlos chose is greater than or equal to the absolute value of the sum of the $25$ numbers that Yue chose, Carlos wins. In the other case, Yue wins. Determine which of the two players can develop a strategy that will ensure victory, no matter how well their opponent plays, and describe said strategy.

[b]p1.[/b] Farmer James goes to Kristy’s Krispy Chicken to order a crispy chicken sandwich. He can choose from $3$ types of buns, $2$ types of sauces, $4$ types of vegetables, and $4$ types of cheese. He can only choose one type of bun and cheese, but can choose any nonzero number of sauces, and the same with vegetables. How many different chicken sandwiches can Farmer James order? [b]p2.[/b] A line with slope $2$ and a line with slope $3$ intersect at the point $(m, n)$, where $m, n > 0$. These lines intersect the $x$ axis at points $A$ and $B$, and they intersect the y axis at points $C$ and $D$. If $AB = CD$, find $m/n$. [b]p3.[/b] A multi-set of $11$ positive integers has a median of $10$, a unique mode of $11$, and a mean of $ 12$. What is the largest possible number that can be in this multi-set? (A multi-set is a set that allows repeated elements.) [b]p4.[/b] Farmer James is swimming in the Eggs-Eater River, which flows at a constant rate of $5$ miles per hour, and is recording his time. He swims $ 1$ mile upstream, against the current, and then swims $1$ mile back to his starting point, along with the current. The time he recorded was double the time that he would have recorded if he had swum in still water the entire trip. To the nearest integer, how fast can Farmer James swim in still water, in miles per hour? [b]p5.[/b] $ABCD$ is a square with side length $60$. Point $E$ is on $AD$ and $F$ is on $CD$ such that $\angle BEF = 90^o$. Find the minimum possible length of $CF$. [b]p6.[/b] Farmer James makes a trianglomino by gluing together $5$ equilateral triangles of side length $ 1$, with adjacent triangles sharing an entire edge. Two trianglominoes are considered the same if they can be matched using only translations and rotations (but not reflections). How many distinct trianglominoes can Farmer James make? [b]p7.[/b] Two real numbers $x$ and $y$ satisfy $x^2 - y^2 = 2y - 2x$ , and $x + 6 = y^2 + 2y$. What is the sum of all possible values of$ y$? [b]p8.[/b] Let $N$ be a positive multiple of $840$. When $N$ is written in base $6$, it is of the form $\overline{abcdef}_6$ where $a, b, c, d, e, f$ are distinct base $6$ digits. What is the smallest possible value of $N$, when written in base $6$? [b]p9.[/b] For $S = \{1, 2,..., 12\}$, find the number of functions $f : S \to S$ that satisfy the following $3$ conditions: (a) If $n$ is divisible by $3$, $f(n)$ is not divisible by $3$, (b) If $n$ is not divisible by $3$, $f(n)$ is divisible by $3$, and (c) $f(f(n)) = n$ holds for exactly $8$ distinct values of $n$ in $S$. [b]p10.[/b] Regular pentagon $JAMES$ has area $ 1$. Let $O$ lie on line $EM$ and $N$ lie on line $MA$ so that $E, M, O$ and $M, A, N$ lie on their respective lines in that order. Given that $MO = AN$ and $NO = 11 \cdot ME$, find the area of $NOM$. [b]p11.[/b] Hen Hao is flipping a special coin, which lands on its sunny side and its rainy side each with probability $1/2$. Hen Hao flips her coin ten times. Given that the coin never landed with its rainy side up twice in a row, find the probability that Hen Hao’s last flip had its sunny side up. [b]p12.[/b] Find the product of all integer values of a such that the polynomial $x^4 + 8x^3 + ax^2 + 2x - 1$ can be factored into two non-constant polynomials with integer coefficients. [b]p13.[/b] Isosceles trapezoid $ABCD$ has $AB = CD$ and $AD = 6BC$. Point $X$ is the intersection of the diagonals $AC$ and $BD$. There exist a positive real number $k$ and a point $P$ inside $ABCD$ which satisfy $$[PBC] : [PCD] : [PDA] = 1 : k : 3,$$ where $[XYZ]$ denotes the area of triangle $XYZ$. If $PX \parallel AB$, find the value of $k$. [b]p14.[/b] How many positive integers $n < 1000$ are there such that in base $10$, every digit in $3n$ (that isn’t a leading zero) is greater than the corresponding place value digit (possibly a leading zero) in $n$? For example, $n = 56$, $3n = 168$ satisfies this property as $1 > 0$, $6 > 5$, and $8 > 6$. On the other hand, $n = 506$, $3n = 1518$ does not work because of the hundreds place. [b]p15.[/b] Find the greatest integer that is smaller than $$\frac{2018}{37^2}+\frac{2018}{39^2}+ ... +\frac{2018}{ 107^2}.$$ PS. You had better use hide for answers. Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].

Find all functions $f:\mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}$ such that $$f(x)+f(yf(x)+f(y))=f(x+2f(y))+xy$$for all $x,y\in \mathbb{R}$. [i]Proposed by Adrian Beker[/i]

Find all triples $(a,b,c)$ of real numbers such that the following system holds: $$\begin{cases} a+b+c=\frac{1}{a}+\frac{1}{b}+\frac{1}{c} \\a^2+b^2+c^2=\frac{1}{a^2}+\frac{1}{b^2}+\frac{1}{c^2}\end{cases}$$ [i]Proposed by Dorlir Ahmeti, Albania[/i]

[hide=R stands for Ramanujan , P stands for Pascal]they had two problem sets under those two names[/hide] [u]Set 3[/u] [b]P3.11[/b] Find all possible values of $c$ in the following system of equations: $$a^2 + ab + c^2 = 31$$ $$b^2 + ab - c^2 = 18$$ $$a^2 - b^2 = 7$$ [b]P3.12 / R5.25[/b] In square $ABCD$ with side length $13$, point $E$ lies on segment $CD$. Segment $AE$ divides $ABCD$ into triangle $ADE$ and quadrilateral $ABCE$. If the ratio of the area of $ADE$ to the area of $ABCE$ is $4 : 11$, what is the ratio of the perimeter of $ADE$ to the perimeter of$ ABCE$? [b]P3.13[/b] Thomas has two distinct chocolate bars. One of them is $1$ by $5$ and the other one is $1$ by $3$. If he can only eat a single $1$ by $1$ piece off of either the leftmost side or the rightmost side of either bar at a time, how many different ways can he eat the two bars? [b]P3.14[/b] In triangle $ABC$, $AB = 13$, $BC = 14$, and $CA = 15$. The entire triangle is revolved about side $BC$. What is the volume of the swept out region? [b]P3.15[/b] Find the number of ordered pairs of positive integers $(a, b)$ that satisfy the equation $a(a -1) + 2ab + b(b - 1) = 600$. [u]Set 4[/u] [b]P4.16[/b] Compute the sum of the digits of $(10^{2017} - 1)^2$ . [b]P4.17[/b] A right triangle with area $210$ is inscribed within a semicircle, with its hypotenuse coinciding with the diameter of the semicircle. $2$ semicircles are constructed (facing outwards) with the legs of the triangle as their diameters. What is the area inside the $2$ semicircles but outside the first semicircle? [b]P4.18[/b] Find the smallest positive integer $n$ such that exactly $\frac{1}{10}$ of its positive divisors are perfect squares. [b]P4.19[/b] One day, Sambuddha and Jamie decide to have a tower building competition using oranges of radius $1$ inch. Each player begins with $14$ oranges. Jamie builds his tower by making a $3$ by $3$ base, placing a $2$ by $2$ square on top, and placing the last orange at the very top. However, Sambuddha is very hungry and eats $4$ of his oranges. With his remaining $10$ oranges, he builds a similar tower, forming an equilateral triangle with $3$ oranges on each side, placing another equilateral triangle with $2$ oranges on each side on top, and placing the last orange at the very top. What is the positive difference between the heights of these two towers? [b]P4.20[/b] Let $r, s$, and $t$ be the roots of the polynomial $x^3 - 9x + 42$. Compute the value of $(rs)^3 + (st)^3 + (tr)^3$. [u]Set 5[/u] [b]P5.21[/b] For all integers $k > 1$, $\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}k^{-n} =\frac{k}{k -1}$. There exists a sequence of integers $j_0, j_1, ...$ such that $\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}j_n k^{-n} =\left(\frac{k}{k -1}\right)^3$ for all integers $k > 1$. Find $j_{10}$. [b]P5.22[/b] Nimi is a triangle with vertices located at $(-1, 6)$, $(6, 3)$, and $(7, 9)$. His center of mass is tied to his owner, who is asleep at $(0, 0)$, using a rod. Nimi is capable of spinning around his center of mass and revolving about his owner. What is the maximum area that Nimi can sweep through? [b]P5.23[/b] The polynomial $x^{19} - x - 2$ has $19$ distinct roots. Let these roots be $a_1, a_2, ..., a_{19}$. Find $a^{37}_1 + a^{37}_2+...+a^{37}_{19}$. [b]P5.24[/b] I start with a positive integer $n$. Every turn, if $n$ is even, I replace $n$ with $\frac{n}{2}$, otherwise I replace $n$ with $n-1$. Let $k$ be the most turns required for a number $n < 500$ to be reduced to $1$. How many values of $n < 500$ require k turns to be reduced to $1$? [b]P5.25[/b] In triangle $ABC$, $AB = 13$, $BC = 14$, and $AC = 15$. Let $I$ and $O$ be the incircle and circumcircle of $ABC$, respectively. The altitude from $A$ intersects $I$ at points $P$ and $Q$, and $O$ at point $R$, such that $Q$ lies between $P$ and $R$. Find $PR$. PS. You should use hide for answers. R1-15 /P1-5 have been posted [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c3h2786721p24495629]here[/url], and R16-30 /P6-10/ P26-30 [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c3h2786837p24497019]here[/url] Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].

Let $a$, $b$, and $c$ be complex numbers satisfying the system of equations \begin{align*}\dfrac{a}{b+c}+\dfrac{b}{c+a}+\dfrac{c}{a+b}&=9,\\\dfrac{a^2}{b+c}+\dfrac{b^2}{c+a}+\dfrac{c^2}{a+b}&=32,\\\dfrac{a^3}{b+c}+\dfrac{b^3}{c+a}+\dfrac{c^3}{a+b}&=122.\end{align*} Find $abc$.

Let $ P(x)$ be a polynomial with a non-negative coefficients. Prove that if the inequality $ P\left(\frac {1}{x}\right)P(x)\geq 1$ holds for $ x \equal{} 1$, then this inequality holds for each positive $ x$.

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

Let $P(x) = x^4 + ax^3 + bx^2 + cx + d$ and $Q(x) = x^2 + px + q$be two real polynomials. Suppose that there exista an interval $(r,s)$ of length greater than $2$ SUCH THAT BOTH $P(x)$ AND $Q(x)$ ARE nEGATIVE FOR $X \in (r,s)$ and both are positive for $x > s$ and $x<r$. Show that there is a real $x_0$ such that $P(x_0) < Q(x_0)$