Let be a natural number $ n\ge 2, $ the real numbers $ a_1,a_2,\ldots ,a_n,b_1,b_2,\ldots, b_n, $ and the matrix defined as $$ A=\left( a_i+b_j \right)_{1\le j\le n}^{1\le i\le n} . $$ [b]a)[/b] Show that $ n=2 $ if $ A $ is invertible. [b]b)[/b] Prove that the pair of numbers $ a_1,a_2 $ and $ b_1,b_2 $ are both consecutive (not necessarily in this order), if $ A $ is an invertible matrix of integers whose inverse is a matrix of integers. [i]Costică Ambrinoc[/i]

Let $A,B\in M_2(\mathbb Z)$ s.t. $AB=\begin{pmatrix}1&2005\\0&1\end{pmatrix}$. Prove that there is a matrix $C\in M_2(\mathbb Z)$ s.t. $BA=C^{2005}$. [i]Dinu Serbanescu[/i]

Let $\mathbf M\subseteq\mathbb R^2$ be a set with the following properties: 1) there is a pair $(a,b)\in\mathbf M$ such that $ab(a-b)\neq0,$ 2) if $\left(x_1,y_1\right),\left(x_2,y_2\right)\in\mathbf M$ and $c\in\mathbb R$ then also \[\left(cx_1,cy_1\right),\left(x_1+x_2,y_1+y_2\right),\left(x_1x_2,y_1y_2\right)\in\mathbf M.\] Show that in fact \[\mathbf M=\mathbb R^2.\]

Prove that from every set of $n+1$ natural numbers, whose prime factors are in a given set of $n$ prime numbers, one can select several distinct numbers whose product is a perfect square.

In the $xOy$ system, consider the collinear points $A_i(x_i,y_i),\ 1\le i\le 4$, such that there are invertible matrices $M\in \mathcal{M}_4(\mathbb{C})$ such that $(x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4)$ and $(y_1,y_2,y_3,y_4)$ are their first two lines. Prove that the sum of the entries of $M^{-1}$ doesn't depend of $M$. [i]Marian Andronache[/i]

Let $A$ be an $n\times n$ matrix of real numbers for some $n\ge 1.$ For each positive integer $k,$ let $A^{[k]}$ be the matrix obtained by raising each entry to the $k$th power. Show that if $A^k=A^{[k]}$ for $k=1,2,\cdots,n+1,$ then $A^k=A^{[k]}$ for all $k\ge 1.$

A $ 4\times 4$ table is divided into $ 16$ white unit square cells. Two cells are called neighbors if they share a common side. A [i]move[/i] consists in choosing a cell and the colors of neighbors from white to black or from black to white. After exactly $ n$ moves all the $ 16$ cells were black. Find all possible values of $ n$.

A matrix $\begin{bmatrix} x & y \\ z & w \end{bmatrix}$ has square root $\begin{bmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{bmatrix}$ if $$\begin{bmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{bmatrix}^2 = \begin{bmatrix} a^2 + bc &ab + bd \\ ac + cd & bc + d^2 \end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix} x & y \\ z & w \end{bmatrix}$$ Determine how many square roots the matrix $\begin{bmatrix} 2 & 2 \\ 3 & 4 \end{bmatrix}$ has (complex coefficients are allowed).

Let $ A\equal{}(a_{ij})_{1\leq i,j\leq n}$ be a real $ n\times n$ matrix, such that $ a_{ij} \plus{} a_{ji} \equal{} 0$, for all $ i,j$. Prove that for all non-negative real numbers $ x,y$ we have \[ \det(A\plus{}xI_n)\cdot \det(A\plus{}yI_n) \geq \det (A\plus{}\sqrt{xy}I_n)^2.\]

Let $A$, $B$, $C$, and $D$ be the vertices of a regular tetrahedron, each of whose edges measures 1 meter. A bug, starting from vertex $A$, observes the following rule: at each vertex it chooses one of the three edges meeting at that vertex, each edge being equally likely to be chosen, and crawls along that edge to the vertex at its opposite end. Let $p = n/729$ be the probability that the bug is at vertex $A$ when it has crawled exactly 7 meters. Find the value of $n$.

An $n\times n$ table whose cells are numerated with numbers $1, 2,\cdots, n^2$ in some order is called [i]Naissus[/i] if all products of $n$ numbers written in $n$ [i]scattered[/i] cells give the same residue when divided by $n^2+1$. Does there exist a Naissus table for $(a) n = 8;$ $(b) n = 10?$ ($n$ cells are [i]scattered[/i] if no two are in the same row or column.) [i]Proposed by Marko Djikic[/i]

Let $x_1,x_2,\cdots, x_n$ be real valued differentiable functions of a variable $t$ which satisfy \begin{align*} & \frac{\mathrm{d}x_1}{\mathrm{d}t}=a_{11}x_1+a_{12}x_2+\cdots+a_{1n}x_n\\ & \frac{\mathrm{d}x_2}{\mathrm{d}t}=a_{21}x_1+a_{22}x_2+\cdots+a_{2n}x_n\\ & \;\qquad \vdots \\ & \frac{\mathrm{d}x_n}{\mathrm{d}t}=a_{n1}x_1+a_{n2}x_2+\cdots+a_{nn}x_n\\ \end{align*} For some constants $a_{ij}>0$. Suppose that $\lim_{t \to \infty}x_i(t)=0$ for all $1\le i \le n$. Are the functions $x_i$ necessarily linearly dependent?

Given an integer $n\ge 2$, compute $\sum_{\sigma} \textrm{sgn}(\sigma) n^{\ell(\sigma)}$, where all $n$-element permutations are considered, and where $\ell(\sigma)$ is the number of disjoint cycles in the standard decomposition of $\sigma$.

Given a connected graph with $n$ edges, where there are no parallel edges. For any two cycles $C,C'$ in the graph, define its [i]outer cycle[/i] to be \[C*C'=\{x|x\in (C-C')\cup (C'-C)\}.\] (1) Let $r$ be the largest postive integer so that we can choose $r$ cycles $C_1,C_2,\ldots,C_r$ and for all $1\leq k\leq r$ and $1\leq i$, $j_1,j_2,\ldots,j_k\leq r$, we have \[C_i\neq C_{j_1}*C_{j_2}*\cdots*C_{j_k}.\] (Remark: There should have been an extra condition that either $j_1\neq i$ or $k\neq 1$) (2) Let $s$ be the largest positive integer so that we can choose $s$ edges that do not form a cycle. (Remark: A more precise way of saying this is that any nonempty subset of these $s$ edges does not form a cycle) Show that $r+s=n$. Note: A cycle is a set of edges of the form $\{A_iA_{i+1},1\leq i\leq n\}$ where $n\geq 3$, $A_1,A_2,\ldots,A_n$ are distinct vertices, and $A_{n+1}=A_1$.

Prove that: \[\det(A)=\frac{1}{n!}\left| \begin{array}{llllll}\mbox{tr}(A) & 1 & 0 & \ldots & \ldots & 0 \\ \mbox{tr}(A^{2}) & \mbox{tr}(A) & 2 & 0 & \ldots & 0 \\ \mbox{tr}(A^{3}) & \mbox{tr}(A^{2}) & \mbox{tr}(A) & 3 & & \vdots \\ \vdots & & & & & n-1 \\ \mbox{tr}(A^{n}) & \mbox{tr}(A^{n-1}) & \mbox{tr}(A^{n-2}) & \ldots & \ldots & \mbox{tr}(A) \end{array}\right|\]

How many ordered four-tuples of integers $(a,b,c,d)$ with $0 < a < b < c < d < 500$ satisfy $a + d = b + c$ and $bc - ad = 93$?

We call a matrix $\textsl{binary matrix}$ if all its entries equal to $0$ or $1$. A binary matrix is $\textsl{Good}$ if it simultaneously satisfies the following two conditions: (1) All the entries above the main diagonal (from left to right), not including the main diagonal, are equal. (2) All the entries below the main diagonal (from left to right), not including the main diagonal, are equal. Given positive integer $m$, prove that there exists a positive integer $M$, such that for any positive integer $n>M$ and a given $n \times n$ binary matrix $A_n$, we can select integers $1 \leq i_1 <i_2< \cdots < i_{n-m} \leq n$ and delete the $i_i$-th, $i_2$-th,$\cdots$, $i_{n-m}$-th rows and $i_i$-th, $i_2$-th,$\cdots$, $i_{n-m}$-th columns of $A_n$, then the resulting binary matrix $B_m$ is $\textsl{Good}$.

Define the sequence $A_1,A_2,\ldots$ of matrices by the following recurrence: $$ A_1 = \begin{pmatrix} 0 & 1 \\ 1 & 0 \\ \end{pmatrix}, \quad A_{n+1} = \begin{pmatrix} A_n & I_{2^n} \\ I_{2^n} & A_n \\ \end{pmatrix} \quad (n=1,2,\ldots) $$ where $I_m$ is the $m\times m$ identity matrix. Prove that $A_n$ has $n+1$ distinct integer eigenvalues $\lambda_0< \lambda_1<\ldots <\lambda_n$ with multiplicities $\binom{n}{0},\binom{n}{1},\ldots,\binom{n}{n}$, respectively.

Let $\mathbb{F}_{13} = {\overline{0}, \overline{1}, \cdots, \overline{12}}$ be the finite field with $13$ elements (with sum and product modulus $13$). Find how many matrix $A$ of size $5$ x $5$ with entries in $\mathbb{F}_{13}$ exist such that $$A^5 = I$$ where $I$ is the identity matrix of order $5$

Let n be a positive integer. Find all complex numbers $x_{1}$, $x_{2}$, ..., $x_{n}$ satisfying the following system of equations: $x_{1}+2x_{2}+...+nx_{n}=0$, $x_{1}^{2}+2x_{2}^{2}+...+nx_{n}^{2}=0$, ... $x_{1}^{n}+2x_{2}^{n}+...+nx_{n}^{n}=0$.

In how many ways can one fill an $n*n$ matrix with $+1$ and $-1$ so that the product of the entries in each row and each column equals $-1$?

Let $A\in M_n(\mathbb{C}) $ and $a\in \mathbb{C} $ such that $A-A^*=2aI_n $, where $A^*=(\overline{A})^T $ and $I_n$ is identity matrix. (i) Show that $|\det A|\ge |a|^n $. (ii) Show that if $|\det A|=|a|^n $ then $A=aI_n$.

Let $A,B,C,D \in \mathcal{M}_n(\mathbb{C}),$ $A$ and $C$ invertible. Prove that if $A^k B = C^k D$ for any positive integer $k,$ then $B=D.$

Suppose that $A$ and $B$ are $n\times n$ matrices with integer entries, and $\det B\ne0$. Prove that there exists $m\in\mathbb N$ such that the product $AB^{-1}$ can be represented as $$AB^{-1}=\sum_{k=1}^mN_k^{-1},$$where $N_k$ are $n\times n$ matrices with integer entries for all $k=1,\ldots,m$, and $N_i\ne N_j$ for $i\ne j$.

Let $A$ be a $3 \times 9$ matrix. All elements of $A$ are positive integers. We call an $m\times n$ submatrix of $A$ "ox" if the sum of its elements is divisible by $10$, and we call an element of $A$ "carboxylic" if it is not an element of any "ox" submatrix. Find the largest possible number of "carboxylic" elements in $A$.