Olympiad problems

2016 Iran Team Selection Test, 1

Let $m$ and $n$ be positive integers such that $m>n$. Define $x_k=\frac{m+k}{n+k}$ for $k=1,2,\ldots,n+1$. Prove that if all the numbers $x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_{n+1}$ are integers, then $x_1x_2\ldots x_{n+1}-1$ is divisible by an odd prime.

1984 IMO Shortlist, 12

Tags: algebra , polynomial , modular arithmetic , number theory , divisibility

Find one pair of positive integers $a,b$ such that $ab(a+b)$ is not divisible by $7$, but $(a+b)^7-a^7-b^7$ is divisible by $7^7$.

2016 Indonesia TST, 2

Tags: number theory , divisibility

Let $m$ and $n$ be positive integers such that $m>n$. Define $x_k=\frac{m+k}{n+k}$ for $k=1,2,\ldots,n+1$. Prove that if all the numbers $x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_{n+1}$ are integers, then $x_1x_2\ldots x_{n+1}-1$ is divisible by an odd prime.

1969 IMO Shortlist, 25

Tags: number theory , divisibility , frobenius , additive number theory

$(GBR 2)$ Let $a, b, x, y$ be positive integers such that $a$ and $b$ have no common divisor greater than $1$. Prove that the largest number not expressible in the form $ax + by$ is $ab - a - b$. If $N(k)$ is the largest number not expressible in the form $ax + by$ in only $k$ ways, find $N(k).$

1975 IMO, 4

Tags: modular arithmetic , divisibility , digit , decimal representation , digit sum

When $4444^{4444}$ is written in decimal notation, the sum of its digits is $ A.$ Let $B$ be the sum of the digits of $A.$ Find the sum of the digits of $ B.$ ($A$ and $B$ are written in decimal notation.)

1984 IMO Shortlist, 16

Tags: number theory , equation , divisibility , power of 2

Let $a,b,c,d$ be odd integers such that $0<a<b<c<d$ and $ad=bc$. Prove that if $a+d=2^k$ and $b+c=2^m$ for some integers $k$ and $m$, then $a=1$.

2023 Grosman Mathematical Olympiad, 1

Tags: number theory , divisibility , arithmetic sequence

An arithmetic progression of natural numbers of length $10$ and with difference $11$ is given. Prove that the product of the numbers in this progression is divisible by $10!$.

2024 Kyiv City MO Round 1, Problem 3

Tags: game , number theory , divisibility

Petro and Vasyl play the following game. They take turns making moves and Petro goes first. In one turn, a player chooses one of the numbers from $1$ to $2023$ that wasn't selected before and writes it on the board. The first player after whose turn the product of the numbers on the board will be divisible by $2023$ loses. Who wins if every player wants to win? [i]Proposed by Mykhailo Shtandenko[/i]

2015 Bosnia Herzegovina Team Selection Test, 3

Tags: number theory , infinitely many solutions , divisibility , composite number

Prove that there exist infinitely many composite positive integers $n$ such that $n$ divides $3^{n-1}-2^{n-1}$.

2019 China Team Selection Test, 4

Tags: number theory , divisibility

Call a sequence of positive integers $\{a_n\}$ good if for any distinct positive integers $m,n$, one has $$\gcd(m,n) \mid a_m^2 + a_n^2 \text{ and } \gcd(a_m,a_n) \mid m^2 + n^2.$$ Call a positive integer $a$ to be $k$-good if there exists a good sequence such that $a_k = a$. Does there exists a $k$ such that there are exactly $2019$ $k$-good positive integers?

1960 IMO Shortlist, 1

Tags: algebra , number theory , divisibility , decimal representation

Determine all three-digit numbers $N$ having the property that $N$ is divisible by 11, and $\dfrac{N}{11}$ is equal to the sum of the squares of the digits of $N$.

2015 Israel National Olympiad, 4

Tags: number theory , divisibility

Let $k,m,n$ be positive integers such that $n^m$ is divisible by $m^n$, and $m^k$ is divisible by $k^m$. [list=a] [*] Prove that $n^k$ is divisible by $k^n$. [*] Find an example of $k,m,n$ satisfying the above conditions, where all three numbers are distinct and bigger than 1. [/list]

2019 OMMock - Mexico National Olympiad Mock Exam, 4

Tags: number theory , divisibility

Find all positive integers $n$ such that it is possible to split the numbers from $1$ to $2n$ in two groups $(a_1,a_2,..,a_n)$, $(b_1,b_2,...,b_n)$ in such a way that $2n\mid a_1a_2\cdots a_n+b_1b_2\cdots b_n-1$. [i]Proposed by Alef Pineda[/i]

1999 IMO Shortlist, 6

Tags: algebra , modular arithmetic , arithmetic sequence , divisibility , sum of digits

Prove that for every real number $M$ there exists an infinite arithmetic progression such that: - each term is a positive integer and the common difference is not divisible by 10 - the sum of the digits of each term (in decimal representation) exceeds $M$.

2016 India IMO Training Camp, 2

Tags: number theory , divisibility

Let $m$ and $n$ be positive integers such that $m>n$. Define $x_k=\frac{m+k}{n+k}$ for $k=1,2,\ldots,n+1$. Prove that if all the numbers $x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_{n+1}$ are integers, then $x_1x_2\ldots x_{n+1}-1$ is divisible by an odd prime.

2013 Poland - Second Round, 1

Tags: trinomial , divisibility , number theory

Let $b$, $c$ be integers and $f(x) = x^2 + bx + c$ be a trinomial. Prove, that if for integers $k_1$, $k_2$ and $k_3$ values of $f(k_1)$, $f(k_2)$ and $f(k_3)$ are divisible by integer $n \neq 0$, then product $(k_1 - k_2)(k_2 - k_3)(k_3 - k_1)$ is divisible by $n$ too.

2009 Serbia National Math Olympiad, 4

Tags: combinatorics , permutation , divisibility

Let $n \in \mathbb N$ and $A_n$ set of all permutations $(a_1, \ldots, a_n)$ of the set $\{1, 2, \ldots , n\}$ for which \[k|2(a_1 + \cdots+ a_k), \text{ for all } 1 \leq k \leq n.\] Find the number of elements of the set $A_n$. [i]Proposed by Vidan Govedarica, Serbia[/i]

2009 Germany Team Selection Test, 2

Tags: number theory , modular arithmetic , sequence , divisibility

Let $ a_1$, $ a_2$, $ \ldots$, $ a_n$ be distinct positive integers, $ n\ge 3$. Prove that there exist distinct indices $ i$ and $ j$ such that $ a_i \plus{} a_j$ does not divide any of the numbers $ 3a_1$, $ 3a_2$, $ \ldots$, $ 3a_n$. [i]Proposed by Mohsen Jamaali, Iran[/i]

2016 IMO Shortlist, N6

Tags: number theory , function , divisibility

Denote by $\mathbb{N}$ the set of all positive integers. Find all functions $f:\mathbb{N}\rightarrow \mathbb{N}$ such that for all positive integers $m$ and $n$, the integer $f(m)+f(n)-mn$ is nonzero and divides $mf(m)+nf(n)$. [i]Proposed by Dorlir Ahmeti, Albania[/i]

2025 VJIMC, 1

Tags: number theory , divisibility , prime

Let $a\geq 2$ be an integer. Prove that there exists a positive integer $b$ with the following property: For each positive integer $n$, there is a prime number $p$ (possibly depending on $a,b,n$) such that $a^n + b$ is divisible by $p$, but not divisible by $p^2$.

2008 Germany Team Selection Test, 3

Tags: modular arithmetic , number theory , divisibility , extremal combinatorics , additive combinatorics

Let $ X$ be a set of 10,000 integers, none of them is divisible by 47. Prove that there exists a 2007-element subset $ Y$ of $ X$ such that $ a \minus{} b \plus{} c \minus{} d \plus{} e$ is not divisible by 47 for any $ a,b,c,d,e \in Y.$ [i]Author: Gerhard Wöginger, Netherlands[/i]

2008 Germany Team Selection Test, 2

Tags: number theory , divisibility , binomial coefficient

For every integer $ k \geq 2,$ prove that $ 2^{3k}$ divides the number \[ \binom{2^{k \plus{} 1}}{2^{k}} \minus{} \binom{2^{k}}{2^{k \minus{} 1}} \] but $ 2^{3k \plus{} 1}$ does not. [i]Author: Waldemar Pompe, Poland[/i]

2017 Bundeswettbewerb Mathematik, 1

Tags: blackboard , divisible , divisibility , combinatorics , number theory

The numbers $1,2,3,\dots,2017$ are on the blackboard. Amelie and Boris take turns removing one of those until only two numbers remain on the board. Amelie starts. If the sum of the last two numbers is divisible by $8$, then Amelie wins. Else Boris wins. Who can force a victory?

2022 Germany Team Selection Test, 2

Tags: number theory , divisibility , cubefree

Find all positive integers $n\geq1$ such that there exists a pair $(a,b)$ of positive integers, such that $a^2+b+3$ is not divisible by the cube of any prime, and $$n=\frac{ab+3b+8}{a^2+b+3}.$$

2015 Turkey MO (2nd round), 1

Tags: number theory , divisibility , perfect square

$m$ and $n$ are positive integers. If the number \[ k=\dfrac{(m+n)^2}{4m(m-n)^2+4}\] is an integer, prove that $k$ is a perfect square.