The sequence $\{x_{n}\}_{n \ge 1}$ is defined by \[x_{1}=x_{2}=1, \; x_{n+2}= 14x_{n+1}-x_{n}-4.\] Prove that $x_{n}$ is always a perfect square.

[u]Round 1[/u] [b]p1.[/b] Today, the date $4/9/16$ has the property that it is written with three perfect squares in strictly increasing order. What is the next date with this property? [b]p2.[/b] What is the greatest integer less than $100$ whose digit sumis equal to its greatest prime factor? [b]p3.[/b] In chess, a bishop can only move diagonally any number of squares. Find the number of possible squares a bishop starting in a corner of a $20\times 16$ chessboard can visit in finitely many moves, including the square it stars on. [u]Round 2 [/u] [b]p4.[/b] What is the fifth smallest positive integer with at least $5$ distinct prime divisors? [b]p5.[/b] Let $\tau (n)$ be the number of divisors of a positive integer $n$, including $1$ and $n$. Howmany positive integers $n \le 1000$ are there such that $\tau (n) > 2$ and $\tau (\tau (n)) = 2$? [b]p6.[/b] How many distinct quadratic polynomials $P(x)$ with leading coefficient $1$ exist whose roots are positive integers and whose coefficients sum to $2016$? [u]Round 3[/u] [b]p7.[/b] Find the largest prime factor of $112221$. [b]p8.[/b] Find all ordered pairs of positive integers $(a,b)$ such that $\frac{a^2b^2+1}{ab-1}$ is an integer. [b]p9.[/b] Suppose $f : Z \to Z$ is a function such that $f (2x)= f (1-x)+ f (1-x)$ for all integers $x$. Find the value of $f (2) f (0) +f (1) f (6)$. [u]Round 4[/u] [b]p10.[/b] For any six points in the plane, what is the maximum number of isosceles triangles that have three of the points as vertices? [b]p11.[/b] Find the sum of all positive integers $n$ such that $\sqrt{n+ \sqrt{n -25}}$ is also a positive integer. [b]p12.[/b] Distinct positive real numbers are written at the vertices of a regular $2016$-gon. On each diagonal and edge of the $2016$-gon, the sum of the numbers at its endpoints is written. Find the minimum number of distinct numbers that are now written, including the ones at the vertices. PS. You should use hide for answers. Rounds 5-8 have been posted [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c3h3158474p28715078]here[/url]. and 9-12 [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c3h3162282p28763571]here[/url]. Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].

The set $S$ of positive real numbers $x$ such that \[ \left\lfloor\frac{2x}{5}\right\rfloor + \left\lfloor\frac{3x}{5}\right\rfloor + 1 = \left\lfloor x\right\rfloor \] can be written as $S = \bigcup_{j = 1}^{\infty} I_{j}$, where the $I_{i}$ are disjoint intervals of the form $[a_{i}, b_{i}) = \{x \, | \, a_i \leq x < b_i\}$ and $b_{i} \leq a_{i+1}$ for all $i \geq 1$. Find $\sum_{i=1}^{2017} (b_{i} - a_{i})$.

$ n>2$ is an integer such that $ n^2$ can be represented as a difference of cubes of 2 consecutive positive integers. Prove that $ n$ is a sum of 2 squares of positive integers, and that such $ n$ does exist.

Each pair $(x, y)$ of nonnegative integers is assigned number $f(x, y)$ according the conditions: $f(0, 0) = 0$; $f(2x, 2y) = f(2x + 1, 2y + 1) = f(x, y)$, $f(2x + 1, 2y) = f(2x, 2y + 1) = f(x ,y) + 1$ for $x, y \ge 0$. Let $n$ be a fixed nonnegative integer and let $a$, $b$ be nonnegative integers such that $f(a, b) = n$. Decide how many numbers satisfy the equation $f(a, x) + f(b, x) = n$.

Let $a, b,c$ real numbers that are greater than $ 0$ and less than $1$. Show that there is at least one of these three values $ab(1-c)^2$, $bc(1-a)^2$ , $ca(1- b)^2$ which is less than or equal to $\frac{1}{16}$ .

Prove that the number \[\sum_{k=0}^{n}\binom{2n+1}{2k+1}2^{3k}\] is not divisible by $5$ for any integer $n\geq 0$.

Find all ordered triples $(a,b, c)$ of real numbers such that $$(a-b)(b-c) + (b-c)(c-a) + (c-a)(a-b) = 0.$$

The 2010 positive numbers $a_1, a_2, \ldots , a_{2010}$ satisfy the inequality $a_ia_j \le i+j$ for all distinct indices $i, j$. Determine, with proof, the largest possible value of the product $a_1a_2\ldots a_{2010}$.

Given is the equation: \[x^2+mx+2022=0\] a) Find all the values of the parameter $m$, such that the two solutions of the equation $x_1, x_2$ are $\textbf{natural}$ numbers b)Find all the values of the parameter $m$, such that the two solutions of the equation $x_1, x_2$ are $\textbf{integer}$ numbers

Find the product of the non-real roots of the equation \[(x^2-3)^2+5(x^2-3)+6=0.\] $\begin{array}{@{\hspace{0em}}l@{\hspace{13.7em}}l@{\hspace{13.7em}}l} \textbf{(A) }0&\textbf{(B) }1&\textbf{(C) }-1\\\\ \textbf{(D) }2&\textbf{(E) }-2&\textbf{(F) }3\\\\ \textbf{(G) }-3&\textbf{(H) }4&\textbf{(I) }-4\\\\ \textbf{(J) }5&\textbf{(K) }-5&\textbf{(L) }6\\\\ \textbf{(M) }-6&\textbf{(N) }3+2i&\textbf{(O) }3-2i\\\\ \textbf{(P) }\dfrac{-3+i\sqrt3}2&\textbf{(Q) }8&\textbf{(R) }-8\\\\ \textbf{(S) }12&\textbf{(T) }-12&\textbf{(U) }42\\\\ \textbf{(V) }\text{Ying} & \textbf{(W) }2007 &\end{array}$

[b]p1.[/b] How many ways can we arrange the elements $\{1, 2, ..., n\}$ to a sequence $a_1, a_2, ..., a_n$ such that there is only exactly one $a_i$, $a_{i+1}$ such that $a_i > a_{i+1}$? [b]p2. [/b]How many distinct (non-congruent) triangles are there with integer side-lengths and perimeter $2012$? [b]p3.[/b] Let $\phi$ be the Euler totient function, and let $S = \{x| \frac{x}{\phi (x)} = 3\}$. What is $\sum_{x\in S} \frac{1}{x}$? [b]p4.[/b] Denote $f(N)$ as the largest odd divisor of $N$. Compute $f(1) + f(2) + f(3) +... + f(29) + f(30)$. [b]p5.[/b] Triangle $ABC$ has base $AC$ equal to $218$ and altitude $100$. Squares $s_1, s_2, s_3, ...$ are drawn such that $s_1$ has a side on $AC$ and has one point each touching $AB$ and $BC$, and square $s_k$ has a side on square $s_{k-}1$ and also touches $AB$ and $BC$ exactly once each. What is the sum of the area of these squares? [b]p6.[/b] Let $P$ be a parabola $6x^2 - 28x + 10$, and $F$ be the focus. A line $\ell$ passes through $F$ and intersects the parabola twice at points $P_1 = (2,-22)$, $P_2$. Tangents to the parabola with points at $P_1, P_2$ are then drawn, and intersect at a point $Q$. What is $m\angle P_1QP_2$? PS. You had better use hide for answers.

[b](i)[/b] Solve the equation: \[ \sin^3(x) + \sin^3\left( \frac{2 \pi}{3} + x\right) + \sin^3\left( \frac{4 \pi}{3} + x\right) + \frac{3}{4} \cos {2x} = 0.\] [b](ii)[/b] Supposing the solutions are in the form of arcs $AB$ with one end at the point $A$, the beginning of the arcs of the trigonometric circle, and $P$ a regular polygon inscribed in the circle with one vertex in $A$, find: 1) The subsets of arcs having the other end in $B$ in one of the vertices of the regular dodecagon. 2) Prove that no solution can have the end $B$ in one of the vertices of polygon $P$ whose number of sides is prime or having factors other than 2 or 3.

Given is a polynomial $P(x)$ of degree $n>1$ with real coefficients. The equation $P(P(P(x)))=P(x)$ has $n^3$ distinct real roots. Prove that these roots could be split into two groups with equal arithmetic mean.

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.

Given the nonincreasing sequence of non-negative numbers in which $a_1 \ge a_2 \ge a_3 \ge ... \ge a_{2n-1}\ge 0$. Prove that $a^2_1 -a^2_2 + a^2_3 - ... + a^2_{2n- l} \ge (a_1 - a_2 + a_3 - ... + a_{2n- l} )^2$ . ( L . Kurlyandchik , Leningrad )

In a row written in increasing order all the irreducible positive rational numbers, such that the product of the numerator and the denominator is less than 1988. Prove that any two adjacent fractions $\frac{a}{b}$ and $\frac{c}{d},$ $\frac{a}{b} < \frac{c}{d},$ satisfy the equation $b \cdot c - a \cdot d = 1.$

$(CZS 3)$ Let $a$ and $b$ be two positive real numbers. If $x$ is a real solution of the equation $x^2 + px + q = 0$ with real coefficients $p$ and $q$ such that $|p| \le a, |q| \le b,$ prove that $|x| \le \frac{1}{2}(a +\sqrt{a^2 + 4b})$ Conversely, if $x$ satisfies the above inequality, prove that there exist real numbers $p$ and $q$ with $|p|\le a, |q|\le b$ such that $x$ is one of the roots of the equation $x^2+px+ q = 0.$

Show that $\frac{(x + y + z)^2}{3} \ge x\sqrt{yz} + y\sqrt{zx} + z\sqrt{xy}$ for all non-negative reals $x, y, z$.

Determine a quadric polynomial with intergral coefficients whose roots are $\cos 72^{\circ}$ and $\cos 144^{\circ}.$

Angles $\alpha, \beta, \gamma$ satisfy the inequality $\sin \alpha +\sin \beta +\sin \gamma \ge 2$. Prove that $\cos \alpha + \cos \beta +\cos \gamma \le \sqrt5.$

Let \( f \) and \( g \) be two nonzero polynomials with integer coefficients such that \( \deg(f) > \deg(g) \). Suppose that for infinitely many prime numbers \( p \), the polynomial \( pf + g \) has a rational root. Prove that \( f \) has a rational root. Clarification: A rational root of a polynomial \( f \) is a number \( q \in \mathbb{Q} \) such that \( f(q) = 0 \).

Let $ABC$ be an equilateral triangle with side 3. A circle $C_1$ is tangent to $AB$ and $AC$. A circle $C_2$, with a radius smaller than the radius of $C_1$, is tangent to $AB$ and $AC$ as well as externally tangent to $C_1$. Successively, for $n$ positive integer, the circle $C_{n+1}$, with a radius smaller than the radius of $C_n$, is tangent to $AB$ and $AC$ and is externally tangent to $C_n$. Determine the possible values for the radius of $C_1$ such that 4 circles from this sequence, but not 5, are contained on the interior of the triangle $ABC$.

On a blackboard, several polynomials of degree $37$ are written, each of them has the leading coefficient equal to $1$. Initially all coefficients of each polynomial are non-negative. By one move it is allowed to erase any pair of polynomials $f, g$ and replace it by another pair of polynomials $f_1, g_1$ of degree $37$ with the leading coefficients equal to $1$ such that either $f_1+g_1 = f+g$ or $f_1g_1 = fg$. Prove that it is impossible that after some move each polynomial on the blackboard has $37$ distinct positive roots. [i](8 points)[/i] [i]Alexandr Kuznetsov[/i]

For a real coefficient cubic polynomial $f(x)=ax^3+bx^2+cx+d$, denote three roots of the equation $f(x)=0$ by $\alpha,\beta,\gamma$. Prove that the three roots $\alpha,\beta,\gamma$ are distinct real numbers iff the real symmetric matrix $$\begin{pmatrix} 3 & p_1 & p_2 \\ p_1 & p_2 & p_3 \\ p_2 & p_3 & p_4 \end{pmatrix},\quad p_i = \alpha^i + \beta^i + \gamma^i$$ is positive definite.