This website contains problems from math contests. Problems and corresponding tags were obtained from the Art of Problem Solving website.

Tags were heavily modified to better represent problems.

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Found problems: 638

1988 IMO Shortlist, 14

For what values of $ n$ does there exist an $ n \times n$ array of entries -1, 0 or 1 such that the $ 2 \cdot n$ sums obtained by summing the elements of the rows and the columns are all different?

2010 Iran MO (3rd Round), 5

suppose that $p$ is a prime number. find that smallest $n$ such that there exists a non-abelian group $G$ with $|G|=p^n$. SL is an acronym for Special Lesson. this year our special lesson was Groups and Symmetries. the exam time was 5 hours.

2011 Belarus Team Selection Test, 3

2500 chess kings have to be placed on a $100 \times 100$ chessboard so that [b](i)[/b] no king can capture any other one (i.e. no two kings are placed in two squares sharing a common vertex); [b](ii)[/b] each row and each column contains exactly 25 kings. Find the number of such arrangements. (Two arrangements differing by rotation or symmetry are supposed to be different.) [i]Proposed by Sergei Berlov, Russia[/i]

2003 Romania National Olympiad, 4

Let be a $ 3\times 3 $ real matrix $ A. $ Prove the following statements. [b]a)[/b] $ f(A)\neq O_3, $ for any polynomials $ f\in\mathbb{R} [X] $ whose roots are not real. [b]b)[/b] $ \exists n\in\mathbb{N}\quad \left( A+\text{adj} (A) \right)^{2n} =\left( A \right)^{2n} +\left( \text{adj} (A) \right)^{2n}\iff \text{det} (A)=0 $ [i]Laurențiu Panaitopol[/i]

2023 District Olympiad, P2

Let $A{}$ and $B$ be invertible $n\times n$ matrices with real entries. Suppose that the inverse of $A+B^{-1}$ is $A^{-1}+B$. Prove that $\det(AB)=1$. Does this property hold for $2\times 2$ matrices with complex entries?

2004 Purple Comet Problems, 24

The determinant \[\begin{vmatrix}3&-2&5\\ 7&1&-4\\ 5&2&3\end{vmatrix}\] has the same value as the determinant \[\begin{vmatrix}x&1+x&2+x\\ 3&0&1\\ 1&1&0\end{vmatrix}\] Find $x$.

1998 IMO Shortlist, 7

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.

2003 Miklós Schweitzer, 2

Let $p$ be a prime and let $M$ be an $n\times m$ matrix with integer entries such that $Mv\not\equiv 0\pmod{p}$ for any column vector $v\neq 0$ whose entries are $0$ are $1$. Show that there exists a row vector $x$ with integer entries such that no entry of $xM$ is $0\pmod{p}$. (translated by L. Erdős)

1978 Putnam, A2

Let $a,b, p_1 ,p_2, \ldots, p_n$ be real numbers with $a \ne b$. Define $f(x)= (p_1 -x) (p_2 -x) \cdots (p_n -x)$. Show that $$ \text{det} \begin{pmatrix} p_1 & a& a & \cdots & a \\ b & p_2 & a & \cdots & a\\ b & b & p_3 & \cdots & a\\ \vdots & \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots\\ b & b& b &\cdots &p_n \end{pmatrix}= \frac{bf(a) -af(b)}{b-a}.$$

2000 IMC, 3

Let $A,B\in\mathbb{C}^{n\times n}$ with $\rho(AB - BA) = 1$. Show that $(AB - BA)^2 = 0$.

2005 Polish MO Finals, 3

In a matrix $2n \times 2n$, $n \in N$, are $4n^2$ real numbers with a sum equal zero. The absolute value of each of these numbers is not greater than $1$. Prove that the absolute value of a sum of all the numbers from one column or a row doesn't exceed $n$.

2010 IMC, 4

Let $A$ be a symmetric $m\times m$ matrix over the two-element field all of whose diagonal entries are zero. Prove that for every positive integer $n$ each column of the matrix $A^n$ has a zero entry.

2004 Korea National Olympiad, 4

Let $k$ and $N$ be positive real numbers which satisfy $k\leq N$. For $1\leq i \leq k$, there are subsets $A_i$ of $\{1,2,3,\ldots,N\}$ that satisfy the following property. For arbitrary subset of $\{ i_1, i_2, \ldots , i_s \} \subset \{ 1, 2, 3, \ldots, k \} $, $A_{i_1} \triangle A_{i_2} \triangle ... \triangle A_{i_s}$ is not an empty set. Show that a subset $\{ j_1, j_2, .. ,j_t \} \subset \{ 1, 2, ... ,k \} $ exist that satisfies $n(A_{j_1} \triangle A_{j_2} \triangle \cdots \triangle A_{j_t}) \geq k$. ($A \triangle B=A \cup B-A \cap B$)

2006 IMC, 6

The scores of this problem were: one time 17/20 (by the runner-up) one time 4/20 (by Andrei Negut) one time 1/20 (by the winner) the rest had zero... just to give an idea of the difficulty. Let $A_{i},B_{i},S_{i}$ ($i=1,2,3$) be invertible real $2\times 2$ matrices such that [list][*]not all $A_{i}$ have a common real eigenvector, [*]$A_{i}=S_{i}^{-1}B_{i}S_{i}$ for $i=1,2,3$, [*]$A_{1}A_{2}A_{3}=B_{1}B_{2}B_{3}=I$.[/list] Prove that there is an invertible $2\times 2$ matrix $S$ such that $A_{i}=S^{-1}B_{i}S$ for all $i=1,2,3$.

MathLinks Contest 6th, 6.2

A $n \times n$ matrix is filled with non-negative real numbers such that on each line and column the sum of the elements is $1$. Prove that one can choose n positive entries from the matrix, such that each of them lies on a different line and different column.

Oliforum Contest II 2009, 5

Let $ X: \equal{} \{x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_{29}\}$ be a set of $ 29$ boys: they play with each other in a tournament of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, in respect of the following rules: [list]i) every boy play one and only one time against each other boy (so we can assume that every match has the form $ (x_i \text{ Vs } x_j)$ for some $ i \neq j$); ii) if the match $ (x_i \text{ Vs } x_j)$, with $ i \neq j$, ends with the win of the boy $ x_i$, then $ x_i$ gains $ 1$ point, and $ x_j$ doesn’t gain any point; iii) if the match $ (x_i \text{ Vs } x_j)$, with $ i \neq j$, ends with the parity of the two boys, then $ \frac {1}{2}$ point is assigned to both boys. [/list] (We assume for simplicity that in the imaginary match $ (x_i \text{ Vs } x_i)$ the boy $ x_i$ doesn’t gain any point). Show that for some positive integer $ k \le 29$ there exist a set of boys $ \{x_{t_1},x_{t_2},\ldots,x_{t_k}\} \subseteq X$ such that, for all choice of the positive integer $ i \le 29$, the boy $ x_i$ gains always a integer number of points in the total of the matches $ \{(x_i \text{ Vs } x_{t_1}),(x_i \text{ Vs } x_{t_2}),\ldots, (x_i \text{ Vs } x_{t_k})\}$. [i](Paolo Leonetti)[/i]

1968 Putnam, B5

Let $S$ be the set of $2\times2$-matrices over $\mathbb{F}_{p}$ with trace $1$ and determinant $0$. Determine $|S|$.

2023 SEEMOUS, P1

Prove that if $A{}$ and $B{}$ are $n\times n$ matrices with complex entries which satisfy \[A=AB-BA+A^2B-2ABA+BA^2+A^2BA-ABA^2,\]then $\det(A)=0$.

2012 Iran MO (3rd Round), 4

Prove that if $n$ is large enough, in every $n\times n$ square that a natural number is written on each one of its cells, one can find a subsquare from the main square such that the sum of the numbers is this subsquare is divisible by $1391$.

1980 Miklós Schweitzer, 4

Let $ T \in \textsl{SL}(n,\mathbb{Z})$, let $ G$ be a nonsingular $ n \times n$ matrix with integer elements, and put $ S\equal{}G^{\minus{}1}TG$. Prove that there is a natural number $ k$ such that $ S^k \in \textsl{SL}(n,\mathbb{Z})$. [i]Gy. Szekeres[/i]

2022 District Olympiad, P2

Tags: matrix
Let $A,B\in\mathcal{M}_3(\mathbb{R})$ de matrices such that $A^2+B^2=O_3.$ Prove that $\det(aA+bB)=0$ for any real numbers $a$ and $b.$

2010 VJIMC, Problem 2

If $A,B\in M_2(C)$ such that $AB-BA=B^2$ then prove that \[AB=BA\]

1971 IMO Longlists, 43

Let $ A \equal{} (a_{ij})$, where $ i,j \equal{} 1,2,\ldots,n$, be a square matrix with all $ a_{ij}$ non-negative integers. For each $ i,j$ such that $ a_{ij} \equal{} 0$, the sum of the elements in the $ i$th row and the $ j$th column is at least $ n$. Prove that the sum of all the elements in the matrix is at least $ \frac {n^2}{2}$.

1995 Putnam, 3

To each number with $n^2$ digits, we associate the $n\times n$ determinant of the matrix obtained by writing the digits of the number in order along the rows. For example : $8617\mapsto \det \left(\begin{matrix}{\;8}& 6\;\\ \;1 &{ 7\;}\end{matrix}\right)=50$. Find, as a function of $n$, the sum of all the determinants associated with $n^2$-digit integers. (Leading digits are assumed to be nonzero; for example, for $n = 2$, there are $9000$ determinants.)

2009 AMC 10, 22

Two cubical dice each have removable numbers $ 1$ through $ 6$. The twelve numbers on the two dice are removed, put into a bag, then drawn one at a time and randomly reattached to the faces of the cubes, one number to each face. The dice are then rolled and the numbers on the two top faces are added. What is the probability that the sum is $ 7$? $ \textbf{(A)}\ \frac{1}{9} \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ \frac{1}{8} \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ \frac{1}{6} \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ \frac{2}{11} \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ \frac{1}{5}$