A configuration of several checkers at the centers of squares on a rectangular sheet of grid paper is called [i]boring [/i] if some four checkers occupy the vertices of a rectangle with sides parallel to those of the sheet. (a) Prove that any configuration of more than $3mn/4$ checkers on an $m\times n$ grid is boring. (b) Prove that any configuration of $26$ checkers on a $7\times 7$ grid is boring.

If $x=\sqrt2+\sqrt3+\sqrt6$ is a root of $x^4+ax^3+bx^2+cx+d=0$ where $a,b,c,d$ are integers, what is the value of $|a+b+c+d|$?

Let $ \triangle ABE $ be a triangle with $ \frac{AB}{3} = \frac{BE}{4} = \frac{EA}{5} $. Let $ D \neq A $ be on line $ \overline{AE} $ such that $ AE = ED $ and $ D $ is closer to $ E $ than to $ A $. Moreover, let $ C $ be a point such that $ BCDE $ is a parallelogram. Furthermore, let $ M $ be on line $ \overline{CD} $ such that $ \overline{AM} $ bisects $ \angle BAE $, and let $ P $ be the intersection of $ \overline{AM} $ and $ \overline{BE} $. Compute the ratio of $ PM $ to the perimeter of $ \triangle ABE $.

Solve in N $1/x+2/y-4/z=1$

There are 5 monkeys and 5 ladders and at the top of each ladder there is a banana. A number of ropes connect the ladders, each rope connects two ladders. No two ropes are attached to the same rung of the same ladder. Each monkey starts at the bottom of a different ladder. The monkeys climb up the ladders but each time they encounter a rope they climb along it to the other ladder at the end of the rope and then continue climbing upwards. Show that, no matter how many ropes there are, each monkey gets a banana.

Let $ABC$ be a triangle with $AB<AC$ and $\omega$ be its circumcircle. The tangent line to $\omega$ at $A$ intersects line $BC$ at $D$ and let $E$ be a point on $\omega$ such that $BE$ is parallel to $AD$. $DE$ intersects segment $AB$ and $\omega$ at $F$ and $G$, respectively. The circumcircle of $BGF$ intersects $BE$ at $N$. The line $NF$ intersects lines $AD$ and $EA$ at $S$ and $T$, respectively. Prove that $DGST$ is cyclic.

Let $(x_{n})_{n=1}^{+\infty}$ be a sequence defined recursively with $x_{n+1} = x_{n}(x_{n}-2)$ and $x_{1} = \frac{7}{2}$. Let $x_{2021} = \frac{a}{b}$, where $a,b \in \mathbb{N}$ are coprime. Show that if $p$ is a prime divisor of $a$, then either $3|p-1$ or $p=3$. [i]Authored by Nikola Velov[/i]

Let a sequence $(a_i)_{i=10}^{\infty}$ be defined as follows: [list=a] [*] $a_{10}$ is some positive integer, which can of course be written in base 10. [*] For $i \geq 10$ if $a_i > 0$, let $b_i$ be the positive integer whose base-$(i + 1)$ representation is the same as $a_i$'s base-$i$ representation. Then let $a_{i + 1} = b_i - 1$. If $a_i = 0$, $a_{i + 1} = 0$. [/list] For example, if $a_{10} = 11$, then $b_{10} = 11_{11} (= 12_{10})$; $a_{11} = 11_{11} - 1 = 10_{11} (= 11_{10})$; $b_{11} = 10_{12} (= 12_{10})$; $a_{12} = 11$. Does there exist $a_{10}$ such that $a_i$ is strictly positive for all $i \geq 10$?

In a circular circuit there are petrol stations, so that the total accumulated petrol in them it is exactly enough for a car to go around the circuit. Prove that there is a position from where a car, with the tank of finite capacity and initially empty, can leave and get to go a full loop around the circuit, stopping to refuel at positions. [hide=original wording]En un circuito circular hay puestos de gasolina, de modo que el total de la gasolina acumulada en ellos es exactamente suciente para que un auto de una vuelta completa al circuito. Demostrar que existe un puesto desde donde un auto, con el estanque de capacidad finita e inicialmente vacio, puede partir y conseguir recorrer una vuelta completa al circuito, deteniendose a reabastecerse de gasolina en los puestos.[/hide]

A college student drove his compact car $ 120$ miles home for the weekend and averaged $ 30$ miles per gallon. On the return trip the student drove his parents' SUV and averaged only $ 20$ miles per gallon. What was the average gas mileage, in miles per gallon, for the round trip? $ \textbf{(A)}\ 22 \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ 24 \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ 25 \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ 26 \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ 28$

In the quadrilateral $ABCD$, the points $E, F$, and $K$ are midpoints of the $AB, BC, AD$ respectively. Known that $KE \perp AB, K F \perp BC$, and the angle $\angle ABC = 118^o$. Find $ \angle ACD$ (in degrees).

Ten tiles numbered $1$ through $10$ are turned face down. One tile is turned up at random, and a die is rolled. What is the probability that the product of the numbers on the tile and the die will be a square? $\textbf{(A)}\ \frac{1}{10}\qquad \textbf{(B)}\ \frac{1}{6}\qquad \textbf{(C)}\ \frac{11}{60}\qquad \textbf{(D)}\ \frac{1}{5}\qquad \textbf{(E)}\ \frac{7}{30}$

Consider three pairwise intersecting circles $\omega_1$, $\omega_2$ and $\omega_3$. Let their three common chords intersect at point $R$. We denote by $O_1$ the center of the circumcircle of a triangle formed by some triple common points of $\omega_1$ & $\omega_2$, $\omega_2$ & $\omega_3$ and $\omega_3$ & $\omega_1$. and we denote by $O_2$ the center of the circumcircle of the triangle formed by the second intersection points of the same pairs of circles. Prove that points $R$, $O_1$ and $O_2$ are collinear.

Point $B$ is on $\overline{AC}$ with $AB = 9$ and $BC = 21$. Point $D$ is not on $\overline{AC}$ so that $AD = CD$, and $AD$ and $BD$ are integers. Let $s$ be the sum of all possible perimeters of $\triangle ACD$. Find $s$.

Spencer eats ice cream in a right circular cone with an opening of radius $5$ and a height of $10$. If Spencer’s ice cream scoops are always perfectly spherical, compute the radius of the largest scoop he can get such that at least half of the scoop is contained within the cone.

We call $\triangle{ABC}$ with centroid $G$ [i]balanced[/i] on side $AB$ if the foot of the altitude from $G$ onto line $\overline{AB}$ lies between $A$ and $B.$ $\triangle{XYZ},$ with $XY=2023$ and $\angle{ZXY}=120^\circ,$ is balanced on $XY.$ What is the maximum value of $XZ$?

Ditty can bench $80$ pounds today. Every week, the amount he benches increases by the largest prime factor of the weight he benched in the previous week. For example, since he started benching $80$ pounds, next week he would bench $85$ pounds. What is the minimum number of weeks from today it takes for Ditty to bench at least $2021$ pounds?

The Professor chooses to assign homework problems from a set of problems labeled $1$ to $100$, inclusive. He will not assign two problems whose numbers share a common factor greater than $1$. If the Professor chooses to assign the maximum number of homework problems possible, how many different combinations of problems can he assign?

For any two nonnegative integers $n$ and $k$ satisfying $n\geq k$, we define the number $c(n,k)$ as follows: - $c\left(n,0\right)=c\left(n,n\right)=1$ for all $n\geq 0$; - $c\left(n+1,k\right)=2^{k}c\left(n,k\right)+c\left(n,k-1\right)$ for $n\geq k\geq 1$. Prove that $c\left(n,k\right)=c\left(n,n-k\right)$ for all $n\geq k\geq 0$.

An assignment of either a $ 0$ or a $ 1$ to each unit square of an $ m$x$ n$ chessboard is called $ fair$ if the total numbers of $ 0$s and $ 1$s are equal. A real number $ a$ is called $ beautiful$ if there are positive integers $ m,n$ and a fair assignment for the $ m$x$ n$ chessboard such that for each of the $ m$ rows and $ n$ columns , the percentage of $ 1$s on that row or column is not less than $ a$ or greater than $ 100\minus{}a$. Find the largest beautiful number.

In rectangle $ ABCD$, points $ F$ and $ G$ lie on $ \overline{AB}$ so that $ AF \equal{} FG \equal{} GB$ and $ E$ is the midpoint of $ \overline{DC}$. Also, $ \overline{AC}$ intersects $ \overline{EF}$ at $ H$ and $ \overline{EG}$ at $ J$. The area of the rectangle $ ABCD$ is $ 70$. Find the area of triangle $ EHJ$. [asy] size(180); pair A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J; A = origin; real length = 6; real width = 3.5; B = length*dir(0); C = (length, width); D = width*dir(90); F = length/3*dir(0); G = 2*length/3*dir(0); E = (length/2, width); H = extension(A, C, E, F); J = extension(A, C, E, G); draw(A--B--C--D--cycle); draw(G--E--F); draw(A--C); label("$A$", A, dir(180)); label("$D$", D, dir(180)); label("$B$", B, dir(0)); label("$C$", C, dir(0)); label("$F$", F, dir(270)); label("$E$", E, dir(90)); label("$G$", G, dir(270)); label("$H$", H, dir(140)); label("$J$", J, dir(340)); [/asy] $ \displaystyle \textbf{(A)} \ \frac {5}{2} \qquad \textbf{(B)} \ \frac {35}{12} \qquad \textbf{(C)} \ 3 \qquad \textbf{(D)} \ \frac {7}{2} \qquad \textbf{(E)} \ \frac {35}{8}$

In the plane a point $O$ is and a sequence of points $P_1, P_2, P_3, \ldots$ are given. The distances $OP_1, OP_2, OP_3, \ldots$ are $r_1, r_2, r_3, \ldots$ Let $\alpha$ satisfies $0 < \alpha < 1.$ Suppose that for every $n$ the distance from the point $P_n$ to any other point of the sequence is $\geq r^{\alpha}_n.$ Determine the exponent $\beta$, as large as possible such that for some $C$ independent of $n$ \[r_n \geq Cn^{\beta}, n = 1,2, \ldots\]

Let $P$ be a point on side $\overline{AB}$ of equilateral triangle $ABC$. If $BP = 6$ and $CP = 9$, what is the length of $AB$? $\textbf{(A) }2\sqrt5\qquad\textbf{(B) }3+\sqrt6\qquad\textbf{(C) }3\sqrt5\qquad\textbf{(D) }3\sqrt6 + 3\qquad\textbf{(E) }6\sqrt2$

Find all real-coefficient polynomials $f(x)$ which satisfy the following conditions: [b]i.[/b] $f(x) = a_0 x^{2n} + a_2 x^{2n - 2} + \cdots + a_{2n - 2} x^2 + a_{2n}, a_0 > 0$; [b]ii.[/b] $\sum_{j=0}^n a_{2j} a_{2n - 2j} \leq \left( \begin{array}{c} 2n\\ n\end{array} \right) a_0 a_{2n}$; [b]iii.[/b] All the roots of $f(x)$ are imaginary numbers with no real part.

Consider an arithmetic progression $a_0,\ldots,a_n$ with $n\ge2$. Prove that $$\sum_{k=0}^n(-1)^k\binom{n}{k}a_k=0.$$