Positive integers $x_1, x_2, \dots, x_n$ ($n \ge 4$) are arranged in a circle such that each $x_i$ divides the sum of the neighbors; that is \[ \frac{x_{i-1}+x_{i+1}}{x_i} = k_i \] is an integer for each $i$, where $x_0 = x_n$, $x_{n+1} = x_1$. Prove that \[ 2n \le k_1 + k_2 + \dots + k_n < 3n. \]

Suppose we have $2013$ piles of coins, with the $i$th pile containing exactly $i$ coins. We wish to remove the coins in a series of steps. In each step, we are allowed to take away coins from as many piles as we wish, but we have to take the same number of coins from each pile. We cannot take away more coins than a pile actually has. What is the minimum number of steps we have to take?

Jacob has a piece of bread shaped like a figure $8$, marked into sections and all initially connected as one piece of bread. The central part of the “$8$” is a single section, and each of the two loops of “$8$” is divided into an additional $1010$ pieces. For each section, there is a $50$ percent chance that Jacob will decide to cut it out and give it to a friend, and this is done independently for each section. The remaining sections of bread form some number of connected pieces. If $E$ is the expected number of these pieces, and $k$ is the smallest positive integer so that $2^k(E - \lfloor E \rfloor ) \ge 1$, find $\lfloor E \rfloor +k$. (Here, we say that if Jacob donates all pieces, there are $0$ pieces left).

A $7\times 7$ board has a lamp on each of its $49$ squares, which can be on or off. The allowed operation is to choose $3$ consecutive cells of a row or a column that have two lamps neighboring each other on and the other off, and change the state of all three. Namely [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/e/b/28737b19c940ff5e1c98d05533c77069e990f5.png[/img] Give a configuration of exactly $8$ lit lamps located in the first $4$ rows of the board such that, through a succession of permitted operations, a single lamp is lit on the board and that it is located in the last row. Show the sequence of operations used to achieve the goal.

In a country there are $n>100$ cities and initially no roads. The government randomly determined the cost of building a two-way road between any two cities, using all amounts from $1$ to $\frac{n(n-1)}{2}$ thalers once (all options are equally likely). The mayor of each city chooses the cheapest of the $n-1$ roads emanating from that city and it is built (this may be the mutual desired of the mayors of both cities being connected, or only one of the two). After the construction of these roads, the cities are divided into $M$ connected components (between cities of the same connected component, you can get along the constructed roads, possibly via other cities, but this is not possible for cities of different components). Find the expected value of the random variable $M$. [i]Proposed by F. Petrov[/i]

For the Georg Mohr game, a playing piece is used, a Georg Mohr cube (i.e. a die whose six sides show the letters G, E, O, R, M and H) as well as a game board: [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/0/9/30ca5cd2579bfcc1d702b40f3ef58916ac768f.png[/img] With each stroke, you advance to the next field with that letter the cube shows; if it is not possible to advance, one remains standing. Peter playing the georg mohr game. Determine the probability that he completes played in two strokes.

Can You fill the squares of the infinite cross-lined paper with integers so, that the sum of the numbers in every $4\times 6$ fields rectangle would be a) $10$? b) $1$?

For which integers $n \geq 2$ is it possible to draw $n$ straight lines in the plane in such a way that there are at least $n - 2$ points where exactly three of the lines meet?

For any nonempty set of integers $X$, define the function $$f(X) = \frac{(-1)^{|X|}}{ \left(\prod_{k\in X} k \right)^2}$$ where $|X|$ denotes the number of elements in $X$. Consider the set $S = \{2, 3, . . . , 13\}$ . Note that $1$ is not an element of $S$. Compute $$\sum_{T\subseteq S, T \ne \emptyset} f(T).$$ where the sum is taken over all nonempty subsets $T$ of $S$.

Is it possible to cut a square with side $\sqrt{2015}$ into no more than five pieces so that these pieces can be rearranged into a rectangle with sides of integer length? (The cuts should be made using straight lines, and flipping of the pieces is disallowed.)

Suppose that the vertices of a regular polygon of $20$ sides are coloured with three colours - red, blue and green - such that there are exactly three red vertices. Prove that there are three vertices $A,B,C$ of the polygon having the same colour such that triangle $ABC$ is isosceles.

A figure on a computer screen shows $n$ points on a sphere, no four coplanar. Some pairs of points are joined by segments. Each segment is colored red or blue. For each point there is a key that switches the colors of all segments with that point as endpoint. For every three points there is a sequence of key presses that makes the three segments between them red. Show that it is possible to make all the segments on the screen red. Find the smallest number of key presses that can turn all the segments red, starting from the worst case.

$A$ is a set satisfying the following the condition. Show that $2001+\sqrt{2001}$ is an element of $A$. [b]Condition[/b] (1) $1 \in A$ (2) If $x \in A$, then $x^2 \in A$. (3) If $(x-3)^2 \in A$, then $x \in A$.

Suppose that $2002$ numbers, each equal to $1$ or $-1$, are written around a circle. For every two adjacent numbers, their product is taken; it turns out that the sum of all $2002$ such products is negative. Prove that the sum of the original numbers has absolute value less than or equal to $1000$. (The absolute value of $x$ is usually denoted by $|x|$. It is equal to $x$ if $x \ge 0$, and to $-x$ if $x < 0$. For example, $|6| = 6, |0| = 0$, and $|-7| = 7$.)

$16$ chess players held a tournament among themselves: every two chess players played exactly one game. For victory in the party was given $1$ point, for a draw $0.5$ points, for defeat $0$ points. It turned out that exactly 15 chess players shared the first place. How many points could the sixteenth chess player score?

Daud want to paint some faces of a cube with green paint. At least one face must be painted. How many ways are there for him to paint the cube? Note: Two colorings are considered the same if one can be obtained from the other by rotation.

Two people take turns writing natural numbers from $1$ to $1000$. On the first move, the first player writes the number $1$ on the board. Then with your next move you can write either the number $2a$ or the number $a+1$ on the board if number $a$ is already written on the board. In this case, it is forbidden to write down numbers that are already written on the board. The one who writes out wins the number $1000$ on the board. Who wins if played correctly?

There is a frog in every vertex of a regular 2n-gon with circumcircle($n \geq 2$). At certain time, all frogs jump to the neighborhood vertices simultaneously (There can be more than one frog in one vertex). We call it as $\textsl{a way of jump}$. It turns out that there is $\textsl{a way of jump}$ with respect to 2n-gon, such that the line connecting any two distinct vertice having frogs on it after the jump, does not pass through the circumcentre of the 2n-gon. Find all possible values of $n$.

The expression $1\oplus2\oplus3\oplus4\oplus5\oplus6\oplus7\oplus8\oplus9$ is written on a blackboard. Bill and Peter play the following game. They replace $\oplus$ by $+$ or $\cdot$, making their moves in turn, and one of them can use only $+$, while the other one can use only $\cdot$. At the beginning, Bill selects the sign he will use, and he tries to make the result an even number. Peter tries to make the result an odd number. Prove that Peter can always win. [hide=Original Wording]The expression $1*2*3*4*5*6*7*8*9$ is written on a blackboard. Bill and Peter play the following game. They replace $*$ by $+$ or $\cdot$, making their moves in turn, and one of them can use only $+$, while the other one can use only $\cdot$. At the beginning Bill selects the sign he will use, and he tries to make the result an even number. Peter tries to make the result an odd number. Prove that Peter can always win.[/hide]

(Game) Károly and Dezso wish to count up to $m$ and play the following game in the meantime: they start from $0$ and the two players can add a positive number less than $13$ to the previous number, taking turns. However because of their superstition, if one of them added $x$, then the other one in the next step cannot add $13-x$. Whoever reaches (or surpasses) $m$ first, loses. [i]Defeat the organisers in this game twice in a row! A starting position will be given and then you can decide whether you want to go first or second.[/i]

There are $100$ lightbulbs $B_1,\ldots, B_{100}$ spaced evenly around a circle in this order. Additionally, there are $100$ switches $S_1,\ldots, S_{100}$ such that for all $1\leq i\leq 100$, switch $S_i$ toggles the states of lights $B_{i-1}$ and $B_{i+1}$ (where here $B_{101} = B_1$). Suppose David chooses whether to flick each switch with probability $\tfrac12$. What is the expected number of lightbulbs which are on at the end of this process given that not all lightbulbs are off?

Pasha placed numbers from $1$ to $100$ in the cells of the square $10$ × $10$, each number exactly once. After that, Dima considered all sorts of squares, with the sides going along the grid lines, consisting of more than one cell, and painted in green the largest number in each such square (one number could be colored many times). Is it possible that all two-digit numbers are painted green? [i]Bragin Vladimir[/i]

All the streets in a city run in one of two perpendicular directions, forming unit squares. Organizers of a car race want to mark down a closed race track in the city in such a way that it would not go through any of the crossings twice and that the track would turn 90◦ right or left at every crossing. Find all possible values of the length of the track.

Consider the set $S = \{1, 2, . . . , 2015\}$. How many ways are there to choose $2015$ distinct (possibly empty and possibly full) subsets $X_1, X_2, . . . , X_{2015}$ of $S$ such that $X_i$ is strictly contained in $X_{i+1}$ for all $1 \le i \le 2014$?

Albrecht writes numbers on the points of the first quadrant with integer coordinates in the following way: If at least one of the coordinates of a point is 0, he writes 0; in all other cases the number written on point $(a, b)$ is one greater than the average of the numbers written on points $ (a+1 , b-1) $ and $ (a-1,b+1)$ . Which numbers could he write on point $(121, 212)$? Note: The elements of the first quadrant are points where both of the coordinates are non- negative.