a) Show that the number $(2k + 1)^3 - (2k - 1)^3$, $k \in Z$, is the sum of three perfect squares. b) Represent the number $(2n + 1)^3 -2$, $n \in N^*$, as the sum of $3n- 1$ perfect squares greater than $1$.

Let $p$ be an odd prime number and $M$ a set derived from $\frac{p^2 + 1}{2}$ square numbers. Investigate whether $p$ elements can be selected from this set whose arithmetic mean is an integer. (Walther Janous)

A positive integer is called [i]sabroso [/i]if when it is added to the number obtained when its digits are interchanged from one side of its written form to the other, the result is a perfect square. For example, $143$ is sabroso, since $143 + 341 =484 = 22^2$. Find all two-digit sabroso numbers.

If the natural numbers $a, b, c, d$ verify the relationships: $$(a^2 + b^2)(c^2 + d^2) = (ab + cd)^2$$ $$(a^2 + d^2)(b^2 + c^2) = (ad + bc)^2$$ and the $gcd(a, b, c, d) = 1$, prove that $a + b + c + d$ is a perfect square.

Solve $ x^3-y^3=2xy+7 $ in integers.

Assume that $a,b$ are integers and $n$ is a natural number. $2^na+b$ is a perfect square for every $n$.Prove that $a=0$.

$m$ and $n$ are positive integers. If the number \[ k=\dfrac{(m+n)^2}{4m(m-n)^2+4}\] is an integer, prove that $k$ is a perfect square.

A [i]permutation[/i] of the set of positive integers $[n] = \{1, 2, . . . , n\}$ is a sequence $(a_1 , a_2 , \ldots, a_n ) $ such that each element of $[n]$ appears precisely one time as a term of the sequence. For example, $(3, 5, 1, 2, 4)$ is a permutation of $[5]$. Let $P (n)$ be the number of permutations of $[n]$ for which $ka_k$ is a perfect square for all $1 \leq k \leq n$. Find with proof the smallest $n$ such that $P (n)$ is a multiple of $2010$.

Two sets of positive integers $A, B$ are called [i]connected [/i] if they are not empty and for all $a \in A, b \in B$, number $ab + 1$ is a perfect square. i) Given $A =\{1, 2,3, 4\}$. Prove that there does not exist any set $B$ such that $A, B$ are connected. ii) Suppose that $A, B$ are connected with $|A|,|B| \ge 2$. For any $a_1 > a_2 \in A$ and $b_1 > b_2 \in B$, prove that $a_1b_1 > 13a_2b_2$.

In the square of an integer $ a$, the tens’ digit is $7$. What is the units’ digit of $a^2$?

Does there exist an integer n such that all three numbers (a) $n - 96$, $n$ and $n + 96$ (b) $n - 1996$, $n$ and $n + 1996$ are positive prime numbers? (V Senderov)

Consider the sequence $a(n)$ defined by the following conditions:$$a(1) = 1\,\,\,\, a(n + 1) = a(n) + [\sqrt{a(n)}] \,\,\, , \,\,\,\, n = 1,2,3,...$$ How many perfect squares no greater in value than $1000 000$ will be found among the first terms of the sequence? ( (Note: $[x]$ means the integer part of $x$, that is the greatest integer not greater than $x$.) (A Andjans)

For which positive integers $n \ge 2$ it is possible to represent the number $n^2$ as a sum of n distinct positive integers not exceeding $\frac{3n}{2}$ ?

Determine all pairs $(p,q)$ of prime numbers for which $p^2+5pq+4q^2$ is a perfect square.

Let the sequences $(x_n)$ and $(y_n)$ be defined by $x_0 = 0$, $x_1 = 1$, $x_{n + 2} = 3x_{n + 1}-2x_n$ for $n = 0, 1, ...$ and $y_n = x^2_n+2^{n + 2}$ for $n = 0, 1, ...,$ respectively. Show that for all n> 0, and n is the square of a odd integer.

Prove that every non-negative integer $n$ is expressible in the form $n=t^2+u^2+v^2+w^2$, where $t,u,v,w$ are integers such that $t+u+v+w$ is a perfect square. [i]* * *[/i]

Find all functions $f :Z_{>0} \to Z_{>0}$ such that the number $xf(x) + f ^2(y) + 2xf(y)$ is a perfect square for all positive integers $x,y$.

How many positive integer divisors of $201^9$ are perfect squares or perfect cubes (or both)? $\textbf{(A) } 32 \qquad\textbf{(B) } 36 \qquad\textbf{(C) } 37 \qquad\textbf{(D) } 39 \qquad\textbf{(E) } 41$

Let $m$ be the smallest odd positive integer for which $1+ 2 +...+ m$ is a square of an integer and let $n$ be the smallest even positive integer for which $1 + 2 + ... + n$ is a square of an integer. What is the value of $m + n$?

An integer $c$ is [i]square-friendly[/i] if it has the following property: For every integer $m$, the number $m^2+18m+c$ is a perfect square. (A perfect square is a number of the form $n^2$, where $n$ is an integer. For example, $49 = 7^2$ is a perfect square while $46$ is not a perfect square. Further, as an example, $6$ is not [i]square-friendly[/i] because for $m = 2$, we have $(2)2 +(18)(2)+6 = 46$, and $46$ is not a perfect square.) In fact, exactly one square-friendly integer exists. Show that this is the case by doing the following: (a) Find a square-friendly integer, and prove that it is square-friendly. (b) Prove that there cannot be two different square-friendly integers.

Prove that there exists a convex 1990-gon with the following two properties : [b]a.)[/b] All angles are equal. [b]b.)[/b] The lengths of the 1990 sides are the numbers $ 1^2$, $ 2^2$, $ 3^2$, $ \cdots$, $ 1990^2$ in some order.

Prove that there exists an infinite sequence of perfect squares with the following properties: (i) The arithmetic mean of any two consecutive terms is a perfect square, (ii) Every two consecutive terms are coprime, (iii) The sequence is strictly increasing.

Given any positive integer $c$, denote $p(c)$ as the largest prime factor of $c$. A sequence $\{a_n\}$ of positive integers satisfies $a_1>1$ and $a_{n+1}=a_n+p(a_n)$ for all $n\ge 1$. Prove that there must exist at least one perfect square in sequence $\{a_n\}$.

Find all integers $k$ such that both $k + 1$ and $16k + 1$ are perfect squares.

How many three-digit perfect squares are there such that if each digit is increased by one, the resulting number is also a perfect square? (A): $1$, (B): $2$, (C): $4$, (D): $8$, (E) None of the above.