Found problems: 259
A number of signal lights are equally spaced along a one-way railroad track, labeled in oder $ 1,2, \ldots, N, N \geq 2.$ As a safety rule, a train is not allowed to pass a signal if any other train is in motion on the length of track between it and the following signal. However, there is no limit to the number of trains that can be parked motionless at a signal, one behind the other. (Assume the trains have zero length.) A series of $ K$ freight trains must be driven from Signal 1 to Signal $ N.$ Each train travels at a distinct but constant spped at all times when it is not blocked by the safety rule. Show that, regardless of the order in which the trains are arranged, the same time will elapse between the first train's departure from Signal 1 and the last train's arrival at Signal $ N.$
The numbers $\frac 32$, $\frac 43$ and $\frac 65$ are intially written on the blackboard. A move consists of erasing one of the numbers from the blackboard, call it $a$, and replacing it with $bc-b-c+2$, where $b,c$ are the other two numbers currently written on the blackboard. Is it possible that $\frac{1000}{999}$ would eventually appear on the blackboard? What about $\frac{113}{108}$?
[i] (Andrei Bâra)[/i]
There are $ n$ markers, each with one side white and the other side black. In the beginning, these $ n$ markers are aligned in a row so that their white sides are all up. In each step, if possible, we choose a marker whose white side is up (but not one of the outermost markers), remove it, and reverse the closest marker to the left of it and also reverse the closest marker to the right of it. Prove that, by a finite sequence of such steps, one can achieve a state with only two markers remaining if and only if $ n \minus{} 1$ is not divisible by $ 3$.
[i]Proposed by Dusan Dukic, Serbia[/i]
Given a permutation $(a_{1}, a_{1},...,a_{n})$ of the numbers $1, 2,...,n$ one may interchange any two consecutive "blocks" - that is, one may transform
($a_{1}, a_{2},...,a_{i}$,$\underbrace {a_{i+1},... a_{i+p},}_{A} $ $ \underbrace{a_{i+p+1},...,a_{i+q},}_{B}...,a_{n}) $
into
$ (a_{1}, a_{2},...,a_{i},$ $ \underbrace {a_{i+p+1},...,a_{i+q},}_{B} $ $ \underbrace {a_{i+1},... a_{i+p}}_{A}$$,...,a_{n}) $
by interchanging the "blocks" $A$ and $B$. Find the least number of such changes which are needed to transform $(n, n-1,...,1)$ into $(1,2,...,n)$
A solitaire game is played on an $m\times n$ rectangular board, using $mn$ markers which are white on one side and black on the other. Initially, each square of the board contains a marker with its white side up, except for one corner square, which contains a marker with its black side up. In each move, one may take away one marker with its black side up, but must then turn over all markers which are in squares having an edge in common with the square of the removed marker. Determine all pairs $(m,n)$ of positive integers such that all markers can be removed from the board.
There are $ n$ markers, each with one side white and the other side black. In the beginning, these $ n$ markers are aligned in a row so that their white sides are all up. In each step, if possible, we choose a marker whose white side is up (but not one of the outermost markers), remove it, and reverse the closest marker to the left of it and also reverse the closest marker to the right of it. Prove that, by a finite sequence of such steps, one can achieve a state with only two markers remaining if and only if $ n \minus{} 1$ is not divisible by $ 3$.
[i]Proposed by Dusan Dukic, Serbia[/i]
A regular $ (5 \times 5)$-array of lights is defective, so that toggling the switch for one light causes each adjacent light in the same row and in the same column as well as the light itself to change state, from on to off, or from off to on. Initially all the lights are switched off. After a certain number of toggles, exactly one light is switched on. Find all the possible positions of this light.
A single player game has the following rules: initially, there are $10$ piles of stones with $1,2,...,10$ stones, respectively. A movement consists on making one of the following operations:
[b]i)[/b] to choose $2$ piles, both of them with at least $2$ stones, combine them and then add $2$ stones to the new pile;
[b]ii)[/b] to choose a pile with at least $4$ stones, remove $2$ stones from it, and then split it into two piles with amount of piles to be chosen by the player.
The game continues until is not possible to make an operation. Show that the number of piles with one stone in the end of the game is always the same, no matter how the movements are made.
A crazy physicist discovered a new kind of particle wich he called an imon, after some of them mysteriously appeared in his lab. Some pairs of imons in the lab can be entangled, and each imon can participate in many entanglement relations. The physicist has found a way to perform the following two kinds of operations with these particles, one operation at a time.
(i) If some imon is entangled with an odd number of other imons in the lab, then the physicist can destroy it.
(ii) At any moment, he may double the whole family of imons in the lab by creating a copy $I'$ of each imon $I$. During this procedure, the two copies $I'$ and $J'$ become entangled if and only if the original imons $I$ and $J$ are entangled, and each copy $I'$ becomes entangled with its original imon $I$; no other entanglements occur or disappear at this moment.
Prove that the physicist may apply a sequence of such operations resulting in a family of imons, no two of which are entangled.
Decompose the space of functions defined on the vertices of a cube into invariant subspaces irreducible with respect to the group of a) its symmetries, b) its rotations.
Consider a quartet of positive numbers $(a,b,c,d)$. In one step, we transform it to $(ab,bc,cd,da)$. Prove that you can never obtain the initial set if neither of $a,b,c,d$ is $1$.
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 $n$ be an integer greater than 2. A positive integer is said to be [i]attainable [/i]if it is 1 or can be obtained from 1 by a sequence of operations with the following properties:
1.) The first operation is either addition or multiplication.
2.) Thereafter, additions and multiplications are used alternately.
3.) In each addition, one can choose independently whether to add 2 or $n$
4.) In each multiplication, one can choose independently whether to multiply by 2 or by $n$.
A positive integer which cannot be so obtained is said to be [i]unattainable[/i].
[b]a.)[/b] Prove that if $n\geq 9$, there are infinitely many unattainable positive integers.
[b]b.)[/b] Prove that if $n=3$, all positive integers except 7 are attainable.
$200 \times 200$ square is colored in chess order. In one move we can take every $2 \times 3$ rectangle and change color of all its cells. Can we make all cells of square in same color ?
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 ?
For a finite set $ X$ of positive integers, let $ \Sigma(X) \equal{} \sum_{x \in X} \arctan \frac{1}{x}.$ Given a finite set $ S$ of positive integers for which $ \Sigma(S) < \frac{\pi}{2},$ show that there exists at least one finite set $ T$ of positive integers for which $ S \subset T$ and $ \Sigma(S) \equal{} \frac{\pi}{2}.$
[i]Kevin Buzzard, United Kingdom[/i]
Define the sequences $a_{0}, a_{1}, a_{2}, ...$ and $b_{0}, b_{1}, b_{2}, ...$ by $a_{0}= 2, b_{0}= 1, a_{n+1}= 2a_{n}b_{n}/(a_{n}+b_{n}), b_{n+1}= \sqrt{a_{n+1}b_{n}}$. Show that the two sequences converge to the same limit, and find the limit.
Let $S = \{1,2,3,\ldots,n\}$. Consider a function $f\colon S\to S$. A subset $D$ of $S$ is said to be invariant if for all $x\in D$ we have $f(x)\in D$. The empty set and $S$ are also considered as invariant subsets. By $\deg (f)$ we define the number of invariant subsets $D$ of $S$ for the function $f$.
[b]i)[/b] Show that there exists a function $f\colon S\to S$ such that $\deg (f)=2$.
[b]ii)[/b] Show that for every $1\leq k\leq n$ there exists a function $f\colon S\to S$ such that $\deg (f)=2^{k}$.
Two people play a game as follows: At the beginning both of them have one point and in every move, one of them can double it's points, or when the other have more point than him, subtract to him his points. Can the two competitors have 2009 and 2002 points respectively? What about 2009 and 2003? Generally which couples of points can they have?
$(NET 4)$ 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 $4.$
The two circles pictured have the same center $C$. Chord $\overline{AD}$ is tangent to the inner circle at $B$, $AC$ is $10$, and chord $\overline{AD}$ has length $16$. What is the area between the two circles?
[asy]
unitsize(45);
import graph; size(300); real lsf = 0.5; pen dp = linewidth(0.7) + fontsize(10); defaultpen(dp); pen ds = black; pen xdxdff = rgb(0.49,0.49,1);
draw((2,0.15)--(1.85,0.15)--(1.85,0)--(2,0)--cycle); draw(circle((2,1),2.24)); draw(circle((2,1),1)); draw((0,0)--(4,0)); draw((0,0)--(2,1)); draw((2,1)--(2,0)); draw((2,1)--(4,0));
dot((0,0),ds); label("$A$", (-0.19,-0.23),NE*lsf); dot((2,0),ds); label("$B$", (1.97,-0.31),NE*lsf); dot((2,1),ds); label("$C$", (1.96,1.09),NE*lsf); dot((4,0),ds); label("$D$", (4.07,-0.24),NE*lsf); clip((-3.1,-7.72)--(-3.1,4.77)--(11.74,4.77)--(11.74,-7.72)--cycle);
[/asy]
$ \textbf{(A)}\ 36 \pi \qquad\textbf{(B)}\ 49 \pi\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ 64 \pi\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ 81 \pi\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ 100 \pi $
A deck of $ 2n\plus{}1$ cards consists of a joker and, for each number between 1 and $ n$ inclusive, two cards marked with that number. The $ 2n\plus{}1$ cards are placed in a row, with the joker in the middle. For each $ k$ with $ 1 \leq k \leq n,$ the two cards numbered $ k$ have exactly $ k\minus{}1$ cards between them. Determine all the values of $ n$ not exceeding 10 for which this arrangement is possible. For which values of $ n$ is it impossible?
Given a convex polygon M invariant under a $90^\circ$ rotation, show that there exist two circles, the ratio of whose radii is $\sqrt2$, one containing M and the other contained in M.
[i]A. Khrabrov[/i]
For each positive integer $ k$, find the smallest number $ n_{k}$ for which there exist real $ n_{k}\times n_{k}$ matrices $ A_{1}, A_{2}, \ldots, A_{k}$ such that all of the following conditions hold:
(1) $ A_{1}^{2}= A_{2}^{2}= \ldots = A_{k}^{2}= 0$,
(2) $ A_{i}A_{j}= A_{j}A_{i}$ for all $ 1 \le i, j \le k$, and
(3) $ A_{1}A_{2}\ldots A_{k}\ne 0$.
A crazy physicist discovered a new kind of particle wich he called an imon, after some of them mysteriously appeared in his lab. Some pairs of imons in the lab can be entangled, and each imon can participate in many entanglement relations. The physicist has found a way to perform the following two kinds of operations with these particles, one operation at a time.
(i) If some imon is entangled with an odd number of other imons in the lab, then the physicist can destroy it.
(ii) At any moment, he may double the whole family of imons in the lab by creating a copy $I'$ of each imon $I$. During this procedure, the two copies $I'$ and $J'$ become entangled if and only if the original imons $I$ and $J$ are entangled, and each copy $I'$ becomes entangled with its original imon $I$; no other entanglements occur or disappear at this moment.
Prove that the physicist may apply a sequence of such operations resulting in a family of imons, no two of which are entangled.