Let $n$ be a positive integer divisible by $4$. We consider the permutations $(a_1, a_2,...,a_n)$ of $(1,2,..., n)$ having the following property: for each j we have $a_i + j = n + 1$ where $i = a_j$ . Prove that there are exactly $\frac{ (\frac12 n)!}{(\frac14 n)!}$ such permutations.

The leader of an IMO team chooses positive integers $n$ and $k$ with $n > k$, and announces them to the deputy leader and a contestant. The leader then secretly tells the deputy leader an $n$-digit binary string, and the deputy leader writes down all $n$-digit binary strings which differ from the leader’s in exactly $k$ positions. (For example, if $n = 3$ and $k = 1$, and if the leader chooses $101$, the deputy leader would write down $001, 111$ and $100$.) The contestant is allowed to look at the strings written by the deputy leader and guess the leader’s string. What is the minimum number of guesses (in terms of $n$ and $k$) needed to guarantee the correct answer?

We call a string of characters [i]neat [/i] when it has an even length and its first half is identical to the other half (eg. [i]abab[/i]). We call a string [i]nice [/i] if it can be split on several neat strings (e.g. [i]abcabcdedef [/i]to [i]abcabc[/i], [i]dede[/i], and [i]ff[/i]). By string [i]reduction[/i] we call an operation in which we wipe two identical adjacent characters from the string (e.g. the string [i]abbac[/i] can be reduced to [i]aac[/i] and further to [i]c[/i]). Prove any string containing each of its characters in even numbers can be obtained by a series of reductions from a suitable nice string. (Martin Melicher)

Let $ k\geq 1 $ and let $ I_{1},\dots, I_{k} $ be non-degenerate subintervals of the interval $ [0, 1] $. Prove that \[ \sum \frac{1}{\left | I_{i}\cup I_{j} \right |} \geq k^{2} \] where the summation is over all pairs $ (i, j) $ of indices such that $I_i\cap I_j\neq \emptyset$.

Find the number of functions $f$ that map the set $\{1,2, 3,4\}$ into itself such that the range of the function $f(x)$ is the same as the range of the function $f(f(x))$.

For any positive integer n, evaluate $$\sum_{i=0}^{\lfloor \frac{n+1}{2} \rfloor} {n-i+1 \choose i}$$ , where $\lfloor n \rfloor$ is the greatest integer less than or equal to $n$ .

In a graph with $n$ vertices every two vertices are connected by a unique path. For each two vertices $u$ and $v$, let $d(u, v)$ denote the distance between $u$ and $v$, i.e. the number of edges in the path connecting these two vertices, and $\deg(u)$ denote the degree of a vertex $u$. Let $W$ be the sum of pairwise distances between the vertices, and $D$ the sum of weighted pairwise distances: $\sum_{\{u, v\}}(\deg(u)+\deg(v))d(u, v)$. Prove that $D=4W-n(n-1)$.

An organization has $n$ members, each two of which know exactly one of the others. Prove that there is a member that knows everyone.

Let $(a_n)$ be a sequence of integers, with $a_1 = 1$ and for evert integer $n \ge 1$, $a_{2n} = a_n + 1$ and $a_{2n+1} = 10a_n$. How many times $111$ appears on this sequence?

Several line segments parallel to the sides of a rectangular sheet of paper were drawn on it. These segments divided the sheet into several rectangles, inside of which there are no drawn lines. Petya wants to draw one diagonal in each of the rectangles, dividing it into two triangles, and color each triangle either black or white. Is it always possible to do this in such a way that no two triangles of the same color share a segment of their boundary?

Given are $n + 1$ points $P_1, P_2,..., P_n$ and $Q$ in the plane, no three collinear. For any two different points $P_i$ and $P_j$ , there is a point $P_k$ such that the point $Q$ lies inside the triangle $P_iP_jP_k$. Prove that $n$ is an odd number.

In a convex set $S$ that contains the origin it is possible to draw $n$ disjoint unit circles such that viewing from the origin non of the unit circles blocks out a part of another (or a complete) unit circle. Prove that the area of $S$ is at least $\frac{n^2}{100}$.

n points are taken in the plane, no three collinear. Some of the line segments between the points are painted red and some are painted blue, so that between any two points there is a unique path along colored edges. Show that the uncolored edges can be painted (each edge either red or blue) so that all triangles have an odd number of red sides.

On the squares $a1, a2,... , a8$ of a chessboard there are respectively $2^0, 2^1, ..., 2^7$ grains of oat, on the squares $b8, b7,..., b1$ respectively $2^8, 2^9, ..., 2^{15}$ grains of oat, on the squares $c1, c2,..., c8$ respectively $2^{16}, 2^{17}, ..., 2^{23}$ grains of oat etc. (so there are $2^{63}$ grains of oat on the square $h1$). A knight starts moving from some square and eats after each move all the grains of oat on the square to which it had jumped, but immediately after the knight leaves the square the same number of grains of oat reappear. With the last move the knight arrives to the same square from which it started moving. Prove that the number of grains of oat eaten by the knight is divisible by $3$.

Let $k$ be a given integer, $3 < k \leq n$. Consider a graph $G$ with $n$ vertices satisfying the condition: for any two non-adjacent vertices $x$ and $y$ in graph $G$, the sum of their degrees must satisfy $d(x) + d(y) \geq k$. Please answer the following questions and prove your conclusions. (1) Suppose the length of the longest path in graph $G$ is $l$ satisfying the inequality $3 \leq l < k$, does graph $G$ necessarily contain a cycle of length $l+1$? (The length of a path or cycle refers to the number of edges that make up the path or cycle.) (2) For the case where $3 < k \leq n-1$ and graph $G$ is connected, can we determine that the length of the longest path in graph $G$, $l \geq k$? (3) For the case where $3 < k = n-1$, is it necessary for graph $G$ to have a path of length $n-1$ (i.e., a Hamiltonian path)?

In a certain language there are $n$ letters. A sequence of letters is a word, if there are no two equal letters between two other equal letters. Find the number of words of the maximum length.

Heron is going to watch a show with $n$ episodes which are released one each day. Heron wants to watch the first and last episodes on the days they first air, and he doesn’t want to have two days in a row that he watches no episodes. He can watch as many episodes as he wants in a day. Denote by $f(n)$ the number of ways Heron can choose how many episodes he watches each day satisfying these constraints. Let $N$ be the $2021$st smallest value of $n$ where $f(n) \equiv 2$ mod $3$. Find $N$.

[b]p1.[/b] Let $a$ be an integer. How many fractions $\frac{a}{100}$ are greater than $\frac17$ and less than $\frac13$ ?. [b]p2.[/b] Justin Bieber invited Justin Timberlake and Justin Shan to eat sushi. There were $5$ different kinds of fish, $3$ different rice colors, and $11$ different sauces. Justin Shan insisted on a spicy sauce. If the probability of a sushi combination that pleased Justin Shan is $6/11$, then how many non-spicy sauces were there? [b]p3.[/b] A palindrome is any number that reads the same forward and backward (for example, $99$ and $50505$ are palindromes but $2020$ is not). Find the sum of all three-digit palindromes whose tens digit is $5$. [b]p4.[/b] Isaac is given an online quiz for his chemistry class in which he gets multiple tries. The quiz has $64$ multiple choice questions with $4$ choices each. For each of his previous attempts, the computer displays Isaac's answer to that question and whether it was correct or not. Given that Isaac is too lazy to actually read the questions, the maximum number of times he needs to attempt the quiz to guarantee a $100\%$ can be expressed as $2^{2^k}$. Find $k$. [b]p5.[/b] Consider a three-way Venn Diagram composed of three circles of radius $1$. The area of the entire Venn Diagram is of the form $\frac{a}{b}\pi +\sqrt{c}$ for positive integers $a$, $b$, $c$ where $a$, $b$ are relatively prime. Find $a+b+c$. (Each of the circles passes through the center of the other two circles) [b]p6.[/b] The sum of two four-digit numbers is $11044$. None of the digits are repeated and none of the digits are $0$s. Eight of the digits from $1-9$ are represented in these two numbers. Which one is not? [b]p7.[/b] Al wants to buy cookies. He can buy cookies in packs of $13$, $15$, or $17$. What is the maximum number of cookies he can not buy if he must buy a whole number of packs of each size? [b]p8.[/b] Let $\vartriangle ABC$ be a right triangle with base $AB = 2$ and hypotenuse $AC = 4$ and let $AD$ be a median of $\vartriangle ABC$. Now, let $BE$ be an altitude in $\vartriangle ABD$ and let $DF$ be an altitude in $\vartriangle ADC$. The quantity $(BE)^2 - (DF)^2$ can be expressed as a common fraction $\frac{a}{b}$ in lowest terms. Find $a + b$. [b]p9.[/b] Let $P(x)$ be a monic cubic polynomial with roots $r$, $s$, $t$, where $t$ is real. Suppose that $r + s + 2t = 8$, $2rs + rt + st = 12$ and $rst = 9$. Find $|P(2)|$. [b]p10.[/b] Let S be the set $\{1, 2,..., 21\}$. How many $11$-element subsets $T$ of $S$ are there such that there does not exist two distinct elements of $T$ such that one divides the other? PS. You should use hide for answers. Collected [url=https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c5h2760506p24143309]here[/url].

In a room there are several children and a pile of 1000 sweets. The children come to the pile one after another in some order. Upon reaching the pile each of them divides the current number of sweets in the pile by the number of children in the room, rounds the result if it is not integer, takes the resulting number of sweets from the pile and leaves the room. All the boys round upwards and all the girls round downwards. The process continues until everyone leaves the room. Prove that the total number of sweets received by the boys does not depend on the order in which the children reach the pile. [i]Maxim Didin[/i]

There are $2021$ people at a meeting. It is known that one person at the meeting doesn't have any friends there and another person has only one friend there. In addition, it is true that, given any $4$ people, at least $2$ of them are friends. Show that there are $2018$ people at the meeting that are all friends with each other. [i]Note. [/i]If $A$ is friend of $B$ then $B$ is a friend of $A$.

We have $2^m$ sheets of paper, with the number $1$ written on each of them. We perform the following operation. In every step we choose two distinct sheets; if the numbers on the two sheets are $a$ and $b$, then we erase these numbers and write the number $a + b$ on both sheets. Prove that after $m2^{m -1}$ steps, the sum of the numbers on all the sheets is at least $4^m$ . [i]Proposed by Abbas Mehrabian, Iran[/i]

In the lower left corner of the $8 \times 8$ chessboard there is a king. He can move one cell either to the right, or up, or diagonally - to the right and up. How many ways can the king go to the upper right corner of the board if his route does not contain cells located on opposite sides of the diagonal going from the lower left to the upper right corner of the board?

Finitely many cards are placed in two stacks, with more cards in the left stack than the right. Each card has one or more distinct names written on it, although different cards may share some names. For each name, we define a “shuffle” by moving every card that has this name written on it to the opposite stack. Prove that it is always possible to end up with more cards in the right stack by picking several distinct names, and doing in turn the shuffle corresponding to each name.

Let $k$, $\ell $ and $m$ be positive integers. Let $ABCDEF$ be a hexagon that has a center of symmetry whose angles are all $120^\circ$ and let its sidelengths be $AB=k$, $BC=\ell$ and $CD=m$. Let $f(k,\ell,m)$ denote the number of ways we can partition hexagon $ABCDEF$ into rhombi with unit sides and an angle of $120^\circ$. Prove that by fixing $\ell$ and $m$, there exists polynomial $g_{\ell,m}$ such that $f(k,\ell,m)=g_{\ell,m}(k)$ for every positive integer $k$, and find the degree of $g_{\ell,m}$ in terms of $\ell$ and $m$. [i]Submitted by Zoltán Gyenes, Budapest[/i]

Finite number of dwarfs excavates ore in the mine with infinite number of levels. Each day at the same time one dwarf from each level, inhabited with exactly $n = 2, 3, ... $ dwarfs, move $n-1$ levels down. Prove that after some moment there will be no more then one dwarf on each level.