The natural numbers $x_1$ and $x_2$ are less than $1000$. We construct a sequence: $$x_3 = |x_1 - x_2|$$ $$x_4 = min \{ |x_1 - x_2|, |x_1 - x_3|, |x_2 - x_3|\}$$ $$...$$ $$x_k = min \{ |x_i - x_j|, 0 <i < j < k\}$$ $$...$$ Prove that $x_{21} = 0$.

Two straight lines intersecting at an angle of $46^o$ are the axes of symmetry of the figure $F$ on the plane. What is the smallest number of axes of symmetry this figure can have?

The cells of a $8 \times 8$ table are initially white. Alice and Bob play a game. First Alice paints $n$ of the fields in red. Then Bob chooses $4$ rows and $4$ columns from the table and paints all fields in them in black. Alice wins if there is at least one red field left. Find the least value of $n$ such that Alice can win the game no matter how Bob plays.

What is the smallest $n$ for which there is a solution to $$\begin{cases} \sin x_1 + \sin x_2 + ... + \sin x_n = 0 \\ \sin x_1 + 2 \sin x_2 + ... + n \sin x_n = 100 \end{cases}$$ ?

Two men, $A$ and $B$, set out from town $M$ to town $N$, which is $15$ km away. Their walking speed is $6$ km/hr. They also have a bicycle which they can ride at $15$ km/hr. Both $A$ and $B$ start simultaneously, $A$ walking and $B$ riding a bicycle until $B$ meets a pedestrian girl, $C$, going from $N$ to $M$. Then $B$ lends his bicycle to $C$ and proceeds on foot; $C$ rides the bicycle until she meets $A$ and gives $A$ the bicycle which $A$ rides until he reaches $N$. The speed of $C$ is the same as that of $A$ and $B$. The time spent by $A$ and $B$ on their trip is measured from the moment they started from $M$ until the arrival of the last of them at $N$. a) When should the girl $C$ leave $N$ for $A$ and $B$ to arrive simultaneously in $N$? b) When should $C$ leave $N$ to minimize this time?

In a mathematical olympiad students received marks for any of the four areas: algebra, geometry, number theory and combinatorics. Any two of the students have distinct marks for all four areas. A group of students is called [i]nice [/i] if all students in the group can be ordered in increasing order simultaneously of at least two of the four areas. Find the least positive integer N, such that among any N students there exist a [i]nice [/i] group of ten students.

Let $f(x) = \sin \frac{x}{3}+ \cos \frac{3x}{10}$ for all real $x$. Find the least natural number $n$ such that $f(n\pi + x)= f(x)$ for all real $x$.

Let $n$ be a positive integer. For a set of points in the plane $M$, we call $2$ distinct points $A,B \in M$ [i]connected[/i] if the line $AB$ contains exactly $n+1$ points from $M$. Find the minimum value of a positive integer $m$ such that there exists a set $M$ of $m$ points in the plane with the property that any point $A \in M$ is connected with exactly $2n$ other points from $M$.

Let $f$ be a one-to-one function from the set of natural numbers to itself such that $f(mn) = f(m)f(n)$ for all natural numbers $m$ and $n$. What is the least possible value of $f (999)$ ?

Find the smallest real constant $p$ for which the inequality holds $\sqrt{ab}- \frac{2ab}{a + b} \le p \left( \frac{a + b}{2} -\sqrt{ab}\right)$ with any positive real numbers $a, b$.

The $A$ set consists of integers only. Its minimal element is $1$ and its maximal element is $100$. Every element of $A$ except $1$ equals to the sum of two (may be equal) numbers being contained in $A$. What is the least possible number of elements in $A$?

Let $n$ a positive integer and let $x_1, \ldots, x_n, y_1, \ldots, y_n$ real positive numbers such that $x_1+\ldots+x_n=y_1+\ldots+y_n=1$. Prove that: $$|x_1-y_1|+\ldots+|x_n-y_n|\leq 2-\underset{1\leq i\leq n}{min} \;\dfrac{x_i}{y_i}-\underset{1\leq i\leq n}{min} \;\dfrac{y_i}{x_i}$$

Let $a, b,c$ and $d$ be real numbers such that $a + b + c + d = 2$ and $ab + bc + cd + da + ac + bd = 0$. Find the minimum value and the maximum value of the product $abcd$.

A man disposes of sufficiently many metal bars of length $2$ and wants to construct a grill of the shape of an $n \times n$ unit net. He is allowed to fold up two bars at an endpoint or to cut a bar into two equal pieces, but two bars may not overlap or intersect. What is the minimum number of pieces he must use?

Find the least possible value of $(x + y)(y + z)$ for positive reals satisfying $(x + y + z) xyz = 1$.

Find positive real numbers $x,y,z$ that are solutions of the system $x+y+z=xy+yz+zx$ and $xyz=1$ , and have the smallest possible sum.

Let $x,y$ be positive numbers, $s$ -- the least of $$\{ x, (y+ 1/x), 1/y\}$$ What is the greatest possible value of $s$? To what $x$ and $y$ does it correspond?

In the triangle $ABC$, $\angle C$ is obtuse and $D$ is a fixed point on the side $BC$, different from $B$ and $C$. For any point $M$ on the side $BC$, different from $D$, the ray $AM$ intersects the circumcircle $S$ of $ABC$ at $N$. The circle through $M, D$ and $N$ meets $S$ again at $P$, different from $N$. Find the location of the point $M$ which minimises $MP$.

Given two circles with the radiuses $R$ and $r$, touching each other from the outer side. Consider all the trapezoids, such that its lateral sides touch both circles, and its bases touch different circles. Find the shortest possible lateral side.

Let $x, y$ be positive reals such that $x \ne y$. Find the minimum possible value of $(x + y)^2 + \frac{54}{xy(x-y)^2}$ .

Prove that there exists a prime number $p$ such that the minimum positive integer $n$ such that $p|2^n -1$ is $3^{2013}$.

(a) On each square of a squared sheet of paper of size $20 \times 20$ there is a soldier. Vanya chooses a number $d$ and Petya moves the soldiers to new squares in such a way that each soldier is moved through a distance of at least $d$ (the distance being measured between the centres of the initial and the new squares) and each square is occupied by exactly one soldier. For which $d$ is this possible? (Give the maximum possible $d$, prove that it is possible to move the soldiers through distances not less than $d$ and prove that there is no greater $d$ for which this procedure may be carried out.) (b) Answer the same question as (a), but with a sheet of size $21 \times 21$. (SS Krotov, Moscow)

Let $n$ be a natural number. Determine the minimal number of equilateral triangles of side $1$ to cover the surface of an equilateral triangle of side $n +\frac{1}{2n}$.

Find the smallest number of the form $1...1$ in its decimal expression which is divisible by $\underbrace{\hbox{3...3}}_{\hbox{100}}$,.

Let $A_1$ and $B_1$ be internal points lying on the sides $BC$ and $AC$ of the triangle $ABC$ respectively and segments $AA_1$ and $BB_1$ meet at $O$. The areas of the triangles $AOB_1,AOB$ and $BOA_1$ are distinct prime numbers and the area of the quadrilateral $A_1OB_1C$ is an integer. Find the least possible value of the area of the triangle $ABC$, and argue the existence of such a triangle.