Found problems: 259
2019 Latvia Baltic Way TST, 5
There are $2019$ students sitting around circular table. Initially each of them have one candy. Teacher is allowed to pick one student, who has at least one can candy, and this student can decide, whether he gives his candy to his neighbour on the right or on the left. Prove that no matter what students teacher picks during the process, students can always ensure that any point of time no student has more than $2$ candies.
2011 USAMO, 2
An integer is assigned to each vertex of a regular pentagon so that the sum of the five integers is 2011. A turn of a solitaire game consists of subtracting an integer $m$ from each of the integers at two neighboring vertices and adding $2m$ to the opposite vertex, which is not adjacent to either of the first two vertices. (The amount $m$ and the vertices chosen can vary from turn to turn.) The game is won at a certain vertex if, after some number of turns, that vertex has the number 2011 and the other four vertices have the number 0. Prove that for any choice of the initial integers, there is exactly one vertex at which the game can be won.
1995 All-Russian Olympiad, 7
There are three boxes of stones. Sisyphus moves stones one by one between the boxes. Whenever he moves a stone, Zeus gives him the number of coins that is equal to the difference between the number of stones in the box the stone was put in, and that in the box the stone was taken from (the moved stone does not count). If this difference is negative, then Sisyphus returns the corresponding amount to Zeus (if Sisyphus cannot pay, generous Zeus allows him to make the move and pay later).
After some time all the stones lie in their initial boxes. What is the greatest possible earning of Sisyphus at that moment?
[i]I. Izmest’ev[/i]
1966 IMO Shortlist, 51
Consider $n$ students with numbers $1, 2, \ldots, n$ standing in the order $1, 2, \ldots, n.$ Upon a command, any of the students either remains on his place or switches his place with another student. (Actually, if student $A$ switches his place with student $B,$ then $B$ cannot switch his place with any other student $C$ any more until the next command comes.)
Is it possible to arrange the students in the order $n,1, 2, \ldots, n-1$ after two commands ?
2014 Vietnam Team Selection Test, 4
a. Let $ABC$ be a triangle with altitude $AD$ and $P$ a variable point on $AD$. Lines $PB$ and $AC$ intersect each other at $E$, lines $PC$ and $AB$ intersect each other at $F.$ Suppose $AEDF$ is a quadrilateral inscribed . Prove that \[\frac{PA}{PD}=(\tan B+\tan C)\cot \frac{A}{2}.\]
b. Let $ABC$ be a triangle with orthocentre $H$ and $P$ a variable point on $AH$. The line through $C$ perpendicular to $AC$ meets $BP$ at $M$, The line through $B$ perpendicular to $AB$ meets $CP$ at $N.$ $K$ is the projection of $A$on $MN$. Prove that $\angle BKC+\angle MAN$ is invariant .
2006 Pre-Preparation Course Examination, 1
Suppose that $X$ is a compact metric space and $T: X\rightarrow X$ is a continous function. Prove that $T$ has a returning point. It means there is a strictly increasing sequence $n_i$ such that $\lim_{k\rightarrow \infty} T^{n_k}(x_0)=x_0$ for some $x_0$.
2003 Romania Team Selection Test, 8
Two circles $\omega_1$ and $\omega_2$ with radii $r_1$ and $r_2$, $r_2>r_1$, are externally tangent. The line $t_1$ is tangent to the circles $\omega_1$ and $\omega_2$ at points $A$ and $D$ respectively. The parallel line $t_2$ to the line $t_1$ is tangent to the circle $\omega_1$ and intersects the circle $\omega_2$ at points $E$ and $F$. The line $t_3$ passing through $D$ intersects the line $t_2$ and the circle $\omega_2$ in $B$ and $C$ respectively, both different of $E$ and $F$ respectively. Prove that the circumcircle of the triangle $ABC$ is tangent to the line $t_1$.
[i]Dinu Serbanescu[/i]
2020/2021 Tournament of Towns, P1
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]
2021 Cyprus JBMO TST, 3
George plays the following game: At every step he can replace a triple of integers $(x,y,z)$ which is written on the blackboard, with any of the following triples:
(i) $(x,z,y)$
(ii) $(-x,y,z)$
(iii) $(x+y,y,2x+y+z)$
(iv) $(x-y,y,y+z-2x)$
Initially, the triple $(1,1,1)$ is written on the blackboard. Determine whether George can, with a sequence of allowed steps, end up at the triple $(2021,2019,2023)$, fully justifying your answer.
1961 All-Soviet Union Olympiad, 2
Consider a table with one real number in each cell. In one step, one may switch the sign of the numbers in one row or one column simultaneously. Prove that one can obtain a table with non-negative sums in each row and each column.
1988 IMO Shortlist, 31
Around a circular table an even number of persons have a discussion. After a break they sit again around the circular table in a different order. Prove that there are at least two people such that the number of participants sitting between them before and after a break is the same.
1969 IMO Longlists, 49
$(NET 4)$ A boy has a set of trains and pieces of railroad track. Each piece is a quarter of circle, and by concatenating these pieces, the boy obtained a closed railway. The railway does not intersect itself. In passing through this railway, the train sometimes goes in the clockwise direction, and sometimes in the opposite direction. Prove that the train passes an even number of times through the pieces in the clockwise direction and an even number of times in the counterclockwise direction. Also, prove that the number of pieces is divisible by $4.$
1994 Vietnam National Olympiad, 1
There are $n+1$ containers arranged in a circle. One container has $n$ stones, the others are empty. A move is to choose two containers $A$ and $B$, take a stone from $A$ and put it in one of the containers adjacent to $B$, and to take a stone from $B$ and put it in one of the containers adjacent to $A$. We can take $A = B$. For which $n$ is it possible by series of moves to end up with one stone in each container except that which originally held $n$ stones.
2011 All-Russian Olympiad, 4
A $2010\times 2010$ board is divided into corner-shaped figures of three cells. Prove that it is possible to mark one cell in each figure such that each row and each column will have the same number of marked cells.
[i]I. Bogdanov & O. Podlipsky[/i]
1991 Vietnam Team Selection Test, 3
Let $\{x\}$ be a sequence of positive reals $x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n$, defined by: $x_1 = 1, x_2 = 9, x_3=9, x_4=1$. And for $n \geq 1$ we have:
\[x_{n+4} = \sqrt[4]{x_{n} \cdot x_{n+1} \cdot x_{n+2} \cdot x_{n+3}}.\]
Show that this sequence has a finite limit. Determine this limit.
2010 Tournament Of Towns, 5
$101$ numbers are written on a blackboard: $1^2, 2^2, 3^2, \cdots, 101^2$. Alex choses any two numbers and replaces them by their positive difference. He repeats this operation until one number is left on the blackboard. Determine the smallest possible value of this number.
2008 International Zhautykov Olympiad, 3
Let $ a, b, c$ be positive integers for which $ abc \equal{} 1$. Prove that
$ \sum \frac{1}{b(a\plus{}b)} \ge \frac{3}{2}$.
1993 Putnam, B6
Let $S$ be a set of three, not necessarily distinct, positive integers. Show that one can transform $S$ into a set containing $0$ by a finite number of applications of the following rule: Select two of the integers $x$ and $y$, where $x\leq y$ and replace them with $2x$ and $y-x.$
2003 AMC 12-AHSME, 22
Objects $A$ and $B$ move simultaneously in the coordinate plane via a sequence of steps, each of length one. Object $A$ starts at $(0,0)$ and each of its steps is either right or up, both equally likely. Object $B$ starts at $(5,7)$ and each of its steps is either left or down, both equally likely. Which of the following is closest to the probability that the objects meet?
$ \textbf{(A)}\ 0.10 \qquad
\textbf{(B)}\ 0.15 \qquad
\textbf{(C)}\ 0.20 \qquad
\textbf{(D)}\ 0.25 \qquad
\textbf{(E)}\ 0.30$
1986 IMO, 3
To each vertex of a regular pentagon an integer is assigned, so that the sum of all five numbers is positive. If three consecutive vertices are assigned the numbers $x,y,z$ respectively, and $y<0$, then the following operation is allowed: $x,y,z$ are replaced by $x+y,-y,z+y$ respectively. Such an operation is performed repeatedly as long as at least one of the five numbers is negative. Determine whether this procedure necessarily comes to an end after a finite number of steps.
2005 MOP Homework, 1
Consider all binary sequences (sequences consisting of 0’s and 1’s). In such a sequence the following four types of operation are allowed: (a) $010 \rightarrow 1$, (b) $1 \rightarrow 010$, (c) $110 \rightarrow 0$, and (d) $0 \rightarrow 110$. Determine if it is possible to obtain the sequence $100...0$ (with $2003$ zeroes) from the sequence $0...01$ (with $2003$ zeroes).
2010 IMO, 5
Each of the six boxes $B_1$, $B_2$, $B_3$, $B_4$, $B_5$, $B_6$ initially contains one coin. The following operations are allowed
Type 1) Choose a non-empty box $B_j$, $1\leq j \leq 5$, remove one coin from $B_j$ and add two coins to $B_{j+1}$;
Type 2) Choose a non-empty box $B_k$, $1\leq k \leq 4$, remove one coin from $B_k$ and swap the contents (maybe empty) of the boxes $B_{k+1}$ and $B_{k+2}$.
Determine if there exists a finite sequence of operations of the allowed types, such that the five boxes $B_1$, $B_2$, $B_3$, $B_4$, $B_5$ become empty, while box $B_6$ contains exactly $2010^{2010^{2010}}$ coins.
[i]Proposed by Hans Zantema, Netherlands[/i]
2009 Romania National Olympiad, 4
Find all functions $ f:[0,1]\longrightarrow [0,1] $ that are bijective, continuous and have the property that, for any continuous function $ g:[0,1]\longrightarrow\mathbb{R} , $ the following equality holds.
$$ \int_0^1 g\left( f(x) \right) dx =\int_0^1 g(x) dx $$
2013 India IMO Training Camp, 3
Players $A$ and $B$ play a game with $N \geq 2012$ coins and $2012$ boxes arranged around a circle. Initially $A$ distributes the coins among the boxes so that there is at least $1$ coin in each box. Then the two of them make moves in the order $B,A,B,A,\ldots $ by the following rules:
[b](a)[/b] On every move of his $B$ passes $1$ coin from every box to an adjacent box.
[b](b)[/b] On every move of hers $A$ chooses several coins that were [i]not[/i] involved in $B$'s previous move and are in different boxes. She passes every coin to an adjacent box.
Player $A$'s goal is to ensure at least $1$ coin in each box after every move of hers, regardless of how $B$ plays and how many moves are made. Find the least $N$ that enables her to succeed.
2015 Taiwan TST Round 2, 1
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]