Found problems: 876
2007 IMC, 6
Let $ f \ne 0$ be a polynomial with real coefficients. Define the sequence $ f_{0}, f_{1}, f_{2}, \ldots$ of polynomials by $ f_{0}= f$ and $ f_{n+1}= f_{n}+f_{n}'$ for every $ n \ge 0$. Prove that there exists a number $ N$ such that for every $ n \ge N$, all roots of $ f_{n}$ are real.
2007 IMC, 1
Let $ f$ be a polynomial of degree 2 with integer coefficients. Suppose that $ f(k)$ is divisible by 5 for every integer $ k$. Prove that all coefficients of $ f$ are divisible by 5.
1955 Miklós Schweitzer, 1
[b]1.[/b] Let $a_{1}, a_{2}, \dots , a_{n}$ and $b_{1}, b_{2}, \dots , b_{m}$ be $n+m$ unit vectors in the $r$-dimensional Euclidean space $E_{r} (n,m \leq r)$; let $a_{1}, a_{2}, \dots , a_{n}$ as well as $b_{1}, b_{2}, \dots , b_{m}$ be mutually orthogonal. For any vector $x \in E_{r}$, consider
$Tx= \sum_{i=1}^{n}\sum_{k=1}^{m}(x,a_{i})(a_{i},b_{k})b_{k}$
($(a,b)$ denotes the scalar product of $a$ and $b$). Show that the sequence $(T^{k}x)^{\infty}_{ k =0}$, where $T^{0} x= x$ and $T^{k} x = T(T^{k-1}x)$, is convergent and give a geometrical characterization of how the limit depends on $x$. [b](S. 14)[/b]
2016 IMC, 2
Let $k$ and $n$ be positive integers. A sequence $\left( A_1, \dots , A_k \right)$ of $n\times n$ real matrices is [i]preferred[/i] by Ivan the Confessor if $A_i^2\neq 0$ for $1\le i\le k$, but $A_iA_j=0$ for $1\le i$, $j\le k$ with $i\neq j$. Show that $k\le n$ in all preferred sequences, and give an example of a preferred sequence with $k=n$ for each $n$.
(Proposed by Fedor Petrov, St. Petersburg State University)
1998 Putnam, 2
Let $s$ be any arc of the unit circle lying entirely in the first quadrant. Let $A$ be the area of the region lying below $s$ and above the $x$-axis and let $B$ be the area of the region lying to the right of the $y$-axis and to the left of $s$. Prove that $A+B$ depends only on the arc length, and not on the position, of $s$.
2000 Putnam, 4
Show that the improper integral \[ \lim_{B \rightarrow \infty} \displaystyle\int_{0}^{B} \sin (x) \sin (x^2) dx \] converges.
2015 Miklos Schweitzer, 1
Let $K$ be a closed subset of the closed unit ball in $\mathbb{R}^3$. Suppose there exists a family of chords $\Omega$ of the unit sphere $S^2$, with the following property:
for every $X,Y\in S^2$, there exist $X',Y'\in S^2$, as close to $X$ and $Y$ correspondingly, as we want, such that $X'Y'\in \Omega$ and $X'Y'$ is disjoint from $K$.
Verify that there exists a set $H\subset S^2$, such that $H$ is dense in the unit sphere $S^2$, and the chords connecting any two points of $H$ are disjoint from $K$.
EDIT: The statement fixed. See post #4
1986 Miklós Schweitzer, 6
Let $U$ denote the set $\{ f\in C[0, 1] \colon |f(x)|\leq 1\, \mathrm{for}\,\mathrm{all}\, x\in [0, 1]\}$. Prove that there is no topology on $C[0, 1]$ that, together with the linear structure of $C[0,1]$, makes $C[0,1]$ into a topological vector space in which the set $U$ is compact. (Assume that topological vector spaces are Hausdorff) [V. Totik]
2010 Contests, A2
Find all differentiable functions $f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ such that
\[f'(x)=\frac{f(x+n)-f(x)}n\]
for all real numbers $x$ and all positive integers $n.$
1995 Putnam, 2
For what pairs of positive real numbers $(a,b)$ does the improper integral $(1)$ converge?
\begin{align}\int_{b}^{\infty}\left(\sqrt{\sqrt{x+a}-\sqrt{x}}-\sqrt{\sqrt{x}-\sqrt{x-b}}\right)\,\mathrm{d}x \end{align}
MIPT student olimpiad spring 2023, 3
Prove that if a set $X\subset S^n$ takes up more than half a Riemannian volume of a unit sphere $S^n$, then the set of all possible geodesic segments length less than $\pi$ with endpoints in the set $X$ covers the entire sphere. Geodetic on sphere $S^n$ is a curve lying on some circle of intersection of the sphere $S^n\subset R^{n+1}$ two-dimensional linear subspace $L \subset R^{n+1}$
2008 Miklós Schweitzer, 4
Let $A$ be a subgroup of the symmetric group $S_n$, and $G$ be a normal subgroup of $A$. Show that if $G$ is transitive, then $|A\colon G|\le 5^{n-1}$
(translated by Miklós Maróti)
1979 Putnam, B3
Let $F$ be a finite field having an odd number $m$ of elements. Let $p(x)$ be an irreducible (i.e. nonfactorable) polynomial over $F$ of the form $$x^2+bx+c, ~~~~~~ b,c \in F.$$ For how many elements $k$ in $F$ is $p(x)+k$ irreducible over $F$?
2016 Korea USCM, 7
$M$ is a postive real and $f:[0,\infty)\to[0,M]$ is a continuous function such that
$$\int_0^\infty (1+x)f(x) dx<\infty$$
Then, prove the following inequality.
$$\left(\int_0^\infty f(x) dx \right)^2 \leq 4M \int_0^\infty x f(x) dx$$
(@below, Thank you. I fixed.)
2012 Miklós Schweitzer, 9
Let $D$ be the complex unit disk $D=\{z \in \mathbb{C}: |z|<1\}$, and $0<a<1$ a real number. Suppose that $f:D \to \mathbb{C}\setminus \{0\}$ is a holomorphic function such that $f(a)=1$ and $f(-a)=-1$. Prove that
$$ \sup_{z \in D} |f(z)| \geqslant \exp\left(\frac{1-a^2}{4a}\pi\right) .$$
2011 Putnam, B4
In a tournament, 2011 players meet 2011 times to play a multiplayer game. Every game is played by all 2011 players together and ends with each of the players either winning or losing. The standings are kept in two $2011\times 2011$ matrices, $T=(T_{hk})$ and $W=(W_{hk}).$ Initially, $T=W=0.$ After every game, for every $(h,k)$ (including for $h=k),$ if players $h$ and $k$ tied (that is, both won or both lost), the entry $T_{hk}$ is increased by $1,$ while if player $h$ won and player $k$ lost, the entry $W_{hk}$ is increased by $1$ and $W_{kh}$ is decreased by $1.$
Prove that at the end of the tournament, $\det(T+iW)$ is a non-negative integer divisible by $2^{2010}.$
1976 Putnam, 2
Let $P(x,y)=x^2y+xy^2$ and $Q(x,y)=x^2+xy+y^2.$ For $n=1,2,3,\dots,$ let \begin{align*}F_n(x,y)=(x+y)^n-x^n-y^n \text{ and,}\\ G_n(x,y)=(x+y)^n+x^n+y^n. \end{align*} One observes that $$G_2=2Q, F_3=3P, G_4=2Q^2, F_5=5PQ, G_6=2Q^3+3P^2.$$ Prove that, in fact, for each $n$ either $F_n$ or $G_n$ is expressible as a polynomial in $P$ and $Q$ with integer coefficients.
1995 Putnam, 6
Suppose that each of $n$ people writes down the numbers $1, 2, 3$ in random order in one column of a $3\times n$ matrix, with all orders equally likely and with the orders for different columns independent of each other. Let the row sums $a, b, c$ of the resulting matrix be rearranged (if necessary) so that $a \le b \le c$. Show that for some $n \ge 1995$ ,it is at least four times as likely that both $b = a+1$ and $c = a+2$ as that $a = b = c$.
1992 Miklós Schweitzer, 5
Prove that if the $a_i$'s are different natural numbers, then $\sum_ {j = 1}^n a_j ^ 2 \prod_{k \neq j} \frac{a_j + a_k}{a_j-a_k}$ is a square number.
2015 VJIMC, 2
[b]Problem 2[/b]
Consider the infinite chessboard whose rows and columns are indexed by positive integers. Is it
possible to put a single positive rational number into each cell of the chessboard so that each positive rational
number appears exactly once and the sum of every row and of every column is finite?
2002 Miklós Schweitzer, 4
For a given natural number $n$, consider those sets $A\subseteq \mathbb{Z}_n$ for which the equation $xy=uv$ has no other solution in the residual classes $x,y,u,v\in A$ than the trivial solutions $x=u$, $y=v$ and $x=v$, $y=u$. Let $g(n)$ be the maximum of the size of such sets $A$. Prove that
$$\limsup_{n\to\infty}\frac{g(n)}{\sqrt{n}}=1$$
2002 Putnam, 3
Show that for all integers $n>1$, \[ \dfrac {1}{2ne} < \dfrac {1}{e} - \left( 1 - \dfrac {1}{n} \right)^n < \dfrac {1}{ne}. \]
1996 Putnam, 6
Let $(a_1,b_1),(a_2,b_2),\ldots ,(a_n,b_n)$ be the vertices of a convex polygon containing the origin in its interior. Prove that there are positive real numbers $x,y$ such that :
\[ (a_1,b_1)x^{a_1}y^{b_1}+(a_2,b_2)x^{a_2}y^{b_2}+\ldots +(a_n,b_n)x^{a_n}y^{b_n}=(0,0) \]
2003 Putnam, 6
For a set $S$ of nonnegative integers, let $r_S(n)$ denote the number of ordered pairs $(s_1, s_2)$ such that $s_1 \in S$, $s_2 \in S$, $s_1 \neq s_2$, and $s_1 + s_2 = n$. Is it possible to partition the nonnegative integers into two sets $A$ and $B$ in such a way that $r_A(n) = r_B(n)$ for all $n$?
1977 Putnam, A2
Determine all solutions in real numbers $x,y,z,w$ of the system $$x+y+z=w, \frac{1}{x}+\frac{1}{y}+\frac{1}{z}=\frac{1}{w}.$$