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 $A$ 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 \[ \det(A\plus{}xI_n)\cdot \det(A\plus{}yI_n) \geq \det (A\plus{}\sqrt{xy}I_n)^2.\]

An $ n \times n$ matrix whose entries come from the set $ S \equal{} \{1, 2, \ldots , 2n \minus{} 1\}$ is called a [i]silver matrix[/i] if, for each $ i \equal{} 1, 2, \ldots , n$, the $ i$-th row and the $ i$-th column together contain all elements of $ S$. Show that: (a) there is no silver matrix for $ n \equal{} 1997$; (b) silver matrices exist for infinitely many values 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 $\sigma$.

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 $\textsl{Good}$.

Given several matrices of the same size. Given a positive integer $N$, let's say that a matrix is $N$-balanced if the entries of the matrix are integers and the difference between any two adjacent entries of the matrix is less than or equal to $N$. (i) Show that every $2N$-balanced matrix can be written as a sum of two $N$-balanced matrices. (ii) Show that every $3N$-balanced matrix can be written as a sum of three $N$-balanced matrices.

The numbers from 1 to $n^2$ are randomly arranged in the cells of a $n \times n$ square ($n \geq 2$). For any pair of numbers situated on the same row or on the same column the ratio of the greater number to the smaller number is calculated. Let us call the [b]characteristic[/b] of the arrangement the smallest of these $n^2\left(n-1\right)$ fractions. What is the highest possible value of the characteristic ?

For $n \geq 3$ and $a_{1} \leq a_{2} \leq \ldots \leq a_{n}$ given real numbers we have the following instructions: - place out the numbers in some order in a ring; - delete one of the numbers from the ring; - if just two numbers are remaining in the ring: let $S$ be the sum of these two numbers. Otherwise, if there are more the two numbers in the ring, replace Afterwards start again with the step (2). Show that the largest sum $S$ which can result in this way is given by the formula \[S_{max}= \sum^n_{k=2} \begin{pmatrix} n -2 \\ [\frac{k}{2}] - 1\end{pmatrix}a_{k}.\]

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: $x_{1}+2x_{2}+...+nx_{n}=0$, $x_{1}^{2}+2x_{2}^{2}+...+nx_{n}^{2}=0$, ... $x_{1}^{n}+2x_{2}^{n}+...+nx_{n}^{n}=0$.

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 $A=aI_n$.

An $ n \times n$ matrix whose entries come from the set $ S \equal{} \{1, 2, \ldots , 2n \minus{} 1\}$ is called a [i]silver matrix[/i] if, for each $ i \equal{} 1, 2, \ldots , n$, the $ i$-th row and the $ i$-th column together contain all elements of $ S$. Show that: (a) there is no silver matrix for $ n \equal{} 1997$; (b) silver matrices exist for infinitely many values of $ n$.

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 $A$.

The sequence $a_0$, $a_1$, $a_2$, $\ldots\,$ satisfies the recurrence equation \[ a_n = 2 a_{n-1} - 2 a_{n - 2} + a_{n - 3} \] for every integer $n \ge 3$. If $a_{20} = 1$, $a_{25} = 10$, and $a_{30} = 100$, what is the value of $a_{1331}$?

6. If $ p,q$ are rationals, $r=p+\sqrt{7}q$, then prove there exists a matrix $\left(\begin{array}{cc}a&b\\c&d\end{array}\right) \in M_{2}(Z)- ( \pm I_{2})$ for which $\frac{ar+b}{cr+d}=r$ and $det(A)=1$

Solve with full solution: \[\left\{\begin{matrix}\sqrt{(\sin x)^2+\frac{1}{(\sin x)^2}}+\sqrt{(\cos y)^2+\frac{1}{(\cos y)^2}}=\sqrt\frac{20y}{x+y} \\\sqrt{(\sin y)^2+\frac{1}{(\sin y)^2}}+\sqrt{(\cos x)^2+\frac{1}{(\cos x)^2}}=\sqrt\frac{20x}{x+y}\end{matrix}\right. \]

What is the biggest shadow that a cube of side length $1$ can have, with the sun at its peak? Note: "The biggest shadow of a figure with the sun at its peak" is understood to be the biggest possible area of the orthogonal projection of the figure on a plane.