Let the set $A=${$ 1,2,3, \dots ,48n+24$ } , where $ n \in \mathbb {N^*}$ . Prove that there exist a subset $B $ of $A $ with $24n+12$ elements with the property : the sum of the squares of the elements of the set $B $ is equal to the sum of the squares of the elements of the set $A$ \ $B $ .

Non-empty set $M$, that consists of positive integer numbers, has the following property: if for some(not necessarily distinct) positive integers $a_1,\ldots,a_{2024}$ the number $a_1\ldots a_{2024}$ is in $M$, then the number $a_1+a_2+\ldots+a_{2024}$ is also in $M$ Prove that all positive integer numbers, starting from $2049$, are in the $M$ [i]M. Zorka[/i]

The numbers $1,2,\ldots,64$ are written in the squares of an $8\times 8$ chessboard, one number to each square. Then $2\times 2$ tiles are placed on the chessboard (without overlapping) so that each tile covers exactly four squares whose numbers sum to less than $100$. Find, with proof, the maximum number of tiles that can be placed on the chessboard, and give an example of a distribution of the numbers $1,2,\ldots,64$ into the squares of the chessboard that admits this maximum number of tiles.

Let $A,B$ be two points in the plane with integer coordinates $A=(x_1,y_1)$ and $B=(x_2,y_2)$. (Thus $x_i,y_i\in\mathbb Z$, for $i=1,2$.) A path $\pi:A\to B$ is a sequence of [b]down[/b] and [b]right[/b] steps, where each step has an integer length, and the initial step starts from $A$, the last step ending at $B$. In the figure below, we indicated a path from $A_1=(4,9)$ to $B1=(10,3)$. The distance $d(A,B)$ between $A$ and $B$ is the number of such paths. For example, the distance between $A=(0,2)$ and $B=(2,0)$ equals $6$. Consider now two pairs of points in the plane $A_i=(x_i,y_i)$ and $B_i=(u_i,z_i)$ for $i=1,2$, with integer coordinates, and in the configuration shown in the picture (but with arbitrary coordinates): $x_2<x_1$ and $y_1>y_2$, which means that $A_1$ is North-East of $A_2$; $u_2<u_1$ and $z_1>z_2$, which means that $B_1$ is North-East of $B_2$. Each of the points $A_i$ is North-West of the points $B_j$, for $1\le i$, $j\le2$. In terms of inequalities, this means that $x_i<\min\{u_1,u_2\}$ and $y_i>\max\{z_1,z_2\}$ for $i=1,2$. [img]https://services.artofproblemsolving.com/download.php?id=YXR0YWNobWVudHMvYi9hL2I4ODlmNDAyYmU5OWUyMzVmZmEzMTY1MGY3YjI3YjFlMmMxMTI2LnBuZw==&rn=VlRSTUMgMjAxNC5wbmc=[/img] (a) Find the distance between two points $A$ and $B$ as before, as a function of the coordinates of $A$ and $B$. Assume that $A$ is North-West of $B$. (b) Consider the $2\times2$ matrix $M=\begin{pmatrix}d(A_1,B_1)&d(A_1,B_2)\\d(A_2,B_1)&d(A_2,B_2)\end{pmatrix}$. Prove that for any configuration of points $A_1,A_2,B_1,B_2$ as described before, $\det M>0$.

Is it possible to put pairwise distinct positive integers less than $100$ in the cells of a $4 \times 4$ table so that the products of all the numbers in every column and every row are equal to each other? (N.B. Vasiliev, Moscow))

Given the number $720$, Juan must choose $4$ numbers that are divisors of $720$. He wins if none of the four chosen numbers is a divisor of the product of the other three. Decide whether Juan can win.

Each lottery ticket has a 9-digit numbers, which uses only the digits $1$, $2$, $3$. Each ticket is colored [color=red]red[/color],[color=blue] blue [/color]or [color=green]green[/color]. If two tickets have numbers which differ in all nine places, then the tickets have different colors. Ticket $122222222$ is red, and ticket $222222222$ is [color=green]green.[/color] What color is ticket $123123123$ ?

From a square board $1000\times 1000$ four rectangles $2\times 994$ have been cut off as shown on the picture. Initially, on the marked square there is a centaur - a piece that moves to the adjacent square to the left, up, or diagonally up-right in each move. Two players alternately move the centaur. The one who cannot make a move loses the game. Who has a winning strategy? [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/c/6/f61c186413b642b5b59f3947bc7a108c772d27.png[/img]

A rook is allowed to move one cell either horizontally or vertically. After $64$ moves the rook visited all cells of the $8 \times 8$ chessboard and returned back to the initial cell. Prove that the number of moves in the vertical direction and the number of moves in the horizontal direction cannot be equal. (A Shapovalov, R Sadykov)

The audience shuffles a deck of $36$ cards, containing $9$ cards in each of the suits spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. A magician predicts the suit of the cards, one at a time, starting with the uppermost one in the face-down deck. The design on the back of each card is an arrow. An assistant examines the deck without changing the order of the cards, and points the arrow on the back each card either towards or away from the magician, according to some system agreed upon in advance with the magician. Is there such a system which enables the magician to guarantee the correct prediction of the suit of at least (a) $19$ cards; (b) $20$ cards?

You are given a set of $n$ blocks, each weighing at least $1$; their total weight is $2n$. Prove that for every real number $r$ with $0 \leq r \leq 2n-2$ you can choose a subset of the blocks whose total weight is at least $r$ but at most $r + 2$.

A regular polygon with $n \ge 3$ sides is given. Each vertex is coloured either red, green or blue, and no two adjacent vertices of the polygon are the same colour. There is at least one vertex of each colour. Prove that it is possible to draw certain diagonals of the polygon in such a way that they intersect only at the vertices of the polygon and they divide the polygon into triangles so that each such triangle has vertices of three different colours.

There are $41$ letters on a circle, each letter is $A$ or $B$. It is allowed to replace $ABA$ by $B$ and conversely, as well as to replace $BAB$ by $A$ and conversely. Is it necessarily true that it is possible to obtain a circle containing a single letter repeating these operations? Maxim Didin

We are given a row of $n\geq7$ tiles. In the leftmost 3 tiles, there is a white piece each, and in the rightmost 3 tiles, there is a black piece each. The white and black players play in turns (the white starts). In each move, a player may take a piece of their color, and move it to an adjacent tile, so long as it's not occupied by a piece of the [u]same color[/u]. If the new tile is empty, nothing happens. If the tile is occupied by a piece of the [u]opposite color[/u], both pieces are destroyed (both white and black). The player who destroys the last two pieces wins the game. Which player has a winning strategy, and what is it? (The answer may depend on $n$)

In a $999 \times 999$ square table some cells are white and the remaining ones are red. Let $T$ be the number of triples $(C_1,C_2,C_3)$ of cells, the first two in the same row and the last two in the same column, with $C_1,C_3$ white and $C_2$ red. Find the maximum value $T$ can attain. [i]Proposed by Merlijn Staps, The Netherlands[/i]

You have a $2m$ by $2n$ grid of squares coloured in the same way as a standard checkerboard. Find the total number of ways to place $mn$ counters on white squares so that each square contains at most one counter and no two counters are in diagonally adjacent white squares.

Let $n\geq 2$ be an even integer. Find the greatest integer $m\geq 2^{n-2}+1$ such that there exist $m$ distinct subsets of $\{1,2,\dots ,n\}$, any $2^{n-2}+1$ of them having empty intersection. [i]Cristi Săvescu[/i]

In a party, there are $2n + 1$ people. It's well known that for every group of $n$ people, there exist a person(out of the group) who knows all them(the $n$ people of the group). Show that there exist a person who knows all the people in the party.

A graph is called 2-connected if after removing any vertex the remaining graph is still connected. Prove that for any 2-connected graph with degrees more than two, one can remove a vertex so that the remaining graph is still 2-connected.

A positive integer $n$ is given. If there exist sets $F_1, F_2, \cdots F_m$ satisfying the following, prove that $m \le n$. (For sets $A, B$, $|A|$ is the number of elements in $A$. $A-B$ is the set of elements that are in $A$ but not $B$) (i): For all $1 \le i \le m$, $F_i \subseteq \{1,2,\cdots n\}$ (ii): $|F_1| \le |F_2| \le \cdots \le |F_m|$ (iii): For all $1 \le i < j \le m$, $|F_i-F_j|=1$.

In a table $n\times n$ some unit squares are coloured black and the other unit squares are coloured white. For each pair of columns and each pair of rows the four squares on the intersections of these rows and columns must not all be of the same colour. What is the largest possible value of $n$?

There are $456$ people around a circle, denoted as $X_1, X_2, \dots, X_{456}$, and each one of them thought of a number. Every time Laura says an integer $k$ with $2 \leqslant k \leqslant 100$, the announcer announces all the numbers $p_1, p_2, \dots, p_{456}$, which are the averages of the numbers thought by the people in all the groups of $k$ consecutive people: $p_1$ is the average of the numbers thought by the people from $X_1$ to $X_k$, $p_2$ is the average of the numbers thought by the people from $X_2$ to $X_{k+1}$, and so on until $p_{456}$, the average of the numbers thought by the people from $X_{456}$ to $X_{k-1}$. Determine how many numbers $k$ Laura must say at a minimum so that, with certainty, the announcer can know the number thought by the person $X_{456}$.

A binary string is a word containing only $0$s and $1$s. In a binary string, a $1-$run is a non extendable substring containing only $1$s. Given a positive integer $n$, let $B(n)$ be the number of $1-$runs in the binary representation of $n$. For example, $B(107)=3$ since $107$ in binary is $1101011$ which has exactly three $1-$runs. What is the following expression equal to? $$B(1)+B(2)+B(3)+ \dots + B(255)$$

Given a horizontal strip on the plane (its sides are parallel lines) and $n$ lines intersecting the strip. Every two of them intersect inside the strip, and not a triple has a common point. Consider all the paths along the segments of those lines, starting on the lower side of the strip and ending on the upper side with the properties: moving along such a path we are constantly rising up, and, having reached the intersection, we are obliged to turn to another line. Prove that: a) there are not less than $n/2$ such a paths without common points; b) there is a path consisting of not less than of $n$ segments; c) there is a path that goes along not more than along $n/2+1$ lines; d) there is a path that goes along all the $n$ lines.

Consider an $n\times{n}$ grid formed by $n^2$ unit squares. We define the centre of a unit square as the intersection of its diagonals. Find the smallest integer $m$ such that, choosing any $m$ unit squares in the grid, we always get four unit squares among them whose centres are vertices of a parallelogram.