Given two positive numbers $a,b$ such that $a^3 +b^3 = a^5 +b^5$, then the greatest value of $M = a^2 + b^2 - ab$ is (A): $\frac14$ (B): $\frac12$ (C): $2$ (D): $1$ (E): None of the above.

Given three points $A, B$ and $C$ (not collinear) construct the equilateral triangle of greater perimeter such that each of its sides passes through one of the given points.

a) Given a big square consisting of $7\times 7$ squares. You should mark the centres of $k$ points in such a way, that no quadruple of the marked points will be the vertices of a rectangle with the sides parallel to the sides of the given squares. What is the greatest $k$ such that the problem has solution? b) The same problem for $13\times 13$ square.

For any set $A = \{x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4, x_5\}$ of five distinct positive integers denote by $S_A$ the sum of its elements, and denote by $T_A$ the number of triples $(i, j, k)$ with $1 \le i < j < k \le 5$ for which $x_i + x_j + x_k$ divides $S_A$. Find the largest possible value of $T_A$.

For a positive integer $n$, we dene $D_n$ as the largest integer that is a divisor of $a^n + (a + 1)^n + (a + 2)^n$ for all positive integers $a$. 1. Show that for all positive integers $n$, the number $D_n$ is of the form $3^k$ with $k \ge 0$ an integer. 2. Show that for all integers $k \ge 0$ there exists a positive integer n such that $D_n = 3^k$.

We write $\{a,b,c\}$ for the set of three different positive integers $a, b$, and $c$. By choosing some or all of the numbers a, b and c, we can form seven nonempty subsets of $\{a,b,c\}$. We can then calculate the sum of the elements of each subset. For example, for the set $\{4,7,42\}$ we will find sums of $4, 7, 42,11, 46, 49$, and $53$ for its seven subsets. Since $7, 11$, and $53$ are prime, the set $\{4,7,42\}$ has exactly three subsets whose sums are prime. (Recall that prime numbers are numbers with exactly two different factors, $1$ and themselves. In particular, the number $1$ is not prime.) What is the largest possible number of subsets with prime sums that a set of three different positive integers can have? Give an example of a set $\{a,b,c\}$ that has that number of subsets with prime sums, and explain why no other three-element set could have more.

Consider a board consisting of $n\times n$ unit squares where $n \ge 2$. Two cells are called neighbors if they share a horizontal or vertical border. In the beginning, all cells together contain $k$ tokens. Each cell may contain one or several tokens or none. In each turn, choose one of the cells that contains at least one token for each of its neighbors and move one of those to each of its neighbors. The game ends if no such cell exists. (a) Find the minimal $k$ such that the game does not end for any starting configuration and choice of cells during the game. (b) Find the maximal $k$ such that the game ends for any starting configuration and choice of cells during the game. Proposed by Theresia Eisenkölbl

A $6 \times 6$ board is given such that each unit square is either red or green. It is known that there are no $4$ adjacent unit squares of the same color in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line. A $2 \times 2$ subsquare of the board is [i]chesslike[/i] if it has one red and one green diagonal. Find the maximal possible number of chesslike squares on the board. [i]Proposed by Nikola Velov[/i]

Determine the largest integer $N$, for which there exists a $6\times N$ table $T$ that has the following properties: $*$ Every column contains the numbers $1,2,\ldots,6$ in some ordering. $*$ For any two columns $i\ne j$, there exists a row $r$ such that $T(r,i)= T(r,j)$. $*$ For any two columns $i\ne j$, there exists a row $s$ such that $T(s,i)\ne T(s,j)$. (Proposed by Gerhard Woeginger, Austria)

What is the largest possible value of $|...| |a_1 - a_2| - a_3| - ... - a_{1990}|$, where $a_1, a_2, ... , a_{1990}$ is a permutation of $1, 2, 3, ... , 1990$?

Suppose $a, b$ are integers and $a+b$ is a root of $x^2 +ax+b = 0$. What is the maximum possible value of $b^2$?

Given the number $188188...188$ (number $188$ is written $101$ times). Some digits of this number are crossed out. What is the largest multiple of $7$, that could happen?

A river has a right-angle bend. Except at the bend, its banks are parallel lines of distance $a$ apart. At the bend the river forms a square with the river flowing in across one side and out across an adjacent side. What is the longest boat of length $c$ and negligible width which can pass through the bend?

Each day $289$ students are divided into $17$ groups of $17$. No two students are ever in the same group more than once. What is the largest number of days that this can be done?

Let $n$ be a positive integer. Determine the maximum value of $gcd(a, b) + gcd(b, c) + gcd(c, a)$ for positive integers $a, b, c$ such that $a + b + c = 5n$.

Let $K$ and $N > K$ be fixed positive integers. Let $n$ be a positive integer and let $a_1, a_2, ..., a_n$ be distinct integers. Suppose that whenever $m_1, m_2, ..., m_n$ are integers, not all equal to $0$, such that $\mid{m_i}\mid \le K$ for each $i$, then the sum $$\sum_{i = 1}^{n} m_ia_i$$ is not divisible by $N$. What is the largest possible value of $n$? [i]Proposed by Ilija Jovcevski, North Macedonia[/i]