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

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Found problems: 766

An $n$-term sequence $(x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n)$ in which each term is either 0 or 1 is called a [i]binary sequence of length [/i]$n$. Let $a_n$ be the number of binary sequences of length $n$ containing no three consecutive terms equal to 0, 1, 0 in that order. Let $b_n$ be the number of binary sequences of length $n$ that contain no four consecutive terms equal to 0, 0, 1, 1 or 1, 1, 0, 0 in that order. Prove that $b_{n+1} = 2a_n$ for all positive integers $n$.
A sequence $(a_n)$ is defined by means of the recursion \[a_1 = 1, a_{n+1} = \frac{1 + 4a_n +\sqrt{1+ 24a_n}}{16}.\] Find an explicit formula for $a_n.$
Let $n > 0$ be an integer. We are given a balance and $n$ weights of weight $2^0, 2^1, \cdots, 2^{n-1}$. We are to place each of the $n$ weights on the balance, one after another, in such a way that the right pan is never heavier than the left pan. At each step we choose one of the weights that has not yet been placed on the balance, and place it on either the left pan or the right pan, until all of the weights have been placed. Determine the number of ways in which this can be done. [i]Proposed by Morteza Saghafian, Iran[/i]
Let $ b$ be an integer greater than $ 5$. For each positive integer $ n$, consider the number \[ x_n = \underbrace{11\cdots1}_{n \minus{} 1}\underbrace{22\cdots2}_{n}5, \] written in base $ b$. Prove that the following condition holds if and only if $ b \equal{} 10$: [i]there exists a positive integer $ M$ such that for any integer $ n$ greater than $ M$, the number $ x_n$ is a perfect square.[/i] [i]Proposed by Laurentiu Panaitopol, Romania[/i]
Let $c$ be a positive integer. The sequence $\{f_n\}$ is defined as follows: \[f_1 = 1, f_2 = c, f_{n+1} = 2f_n - f_{n-1} + 2 \quad (n \geq 2).\] Show that for each $k \in \mathbb N$ there exists $r \in \mathbb N$ such that $f_kf_{k+1}= f_r.$
Let $(a_n)_{n \geq 0}$ and $(b_n)_{n \geq 0}$ be sequences of real numbers such that $ a_0>\frac{1}{2}$ , $a_{n+1} \geq a_n$ and $b_{n+1}=a_n(b_n+b_{n+2})$ for all non-negative integers $n$ . Show that the sequence $(b_n)_{n \geq 0}$ is bounded .
Consider a sequence of positive integers $a_1,a_2,a_3,...$ such that $a_1>1$ and $$a_{n+1}=\frac{a_n}{p}+p,$$ where $p$ is the greatest prime factor of $a_n$. Prove that for any choice of $a_1$, the sequence $a_1,a_2,a_3,...$ has an infinite terms that are equal between them.
Let $x_0=a,x_1=b$ and $x_{n+1}=2x_n-9x_{n-1}$ for each $n\in\mathbb N$, where $a,b$ are integers. Find the necessary and sufficient condition on $a$ and $b$ for the existence of an $x_n$ which is a multiple of $7$.
A sequence of real numbers is called a [i]Fibonacci [/i] sequence if $$t_{n+2} = t_{n+1} + t_n$$ for $n= 1,2,3,. .$ . Two Fibonacci sequences are said to be [i]essentially different[/i] if the terms of one sequence cannot be obtained by multiplying the terms of the other by a constant. For example, the Fibonacci sequences $1,2,3,5,8,...$ and $1,3,4,7,11,...$ are essentially different, but the sequences $1,2,3,5,8,...$ and $2,4,6,10,16,...$ are not. (a) Prove that there exist real numbers $p$ and $q$ such that the sequences $1,p,p^2,p^3,...$ and $1,q,q^2,q^3,...$ are essentially different Fibonacci sequences. (b) Let $a_1,a_2,a_3,...$ and $b_1,b_2,b_3,...$ be essentially different Fibonacci sequences. Prove that for every Fibonacci sequence $t_1,t_2,t_3,...$, there exists exactly one number $\alpha$ and exactly one number $\beta$, such that: $$t_n = \alpha a_n + \beta b_n$$ for $n = 1,2,3,...$ (c) $t_1,t_2,t_3,...$, is the Fibonacci sequence with $t_1 = 1$ and $t_2= 2$. Express $t_n$ in terms of $n$.
Let $\left(1+\sqrt{2}\right)^{2012}=a+b\sqrt{2}$, where $a$ and $b$ are integers. The greatest common divisor of $b$ and $81$ is $\text{(A) }1\qquad\text{(B) }3\qquad\text{(C) }9\qquad\text{(D) }27\qquad\text{(E) }81$
Let $k$ be a fixed integer greater than 1, and let ${m=4k^2-5}$. Show that there exist positive integers $a$ and $b$ such that the sequence $(x_n)$ defined by \[x_0=a,\quad x_1=b,\quad x_{n+2}=x_{n+1}+x_n\quad\text{for}\quad n=0,1,2,\dots,\] has all of its terms relatively prime to $m$. [i]Proposed by Jaroslaw Wroblewski, Poland[/i]
[b]Problem 3[/b] Determine the set of real values of $x$ for which the following series converges, and find its sum: $$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \left(\sum_{\substack{k_1, k_2,\ldots , k_n \geq 0\\ 1\cdot k_1 + 2\cdot k_2+\ldots +n\cdot k_n = n}} \frac{(k_1+\ldots+k_n)!}{k_1!\cdot \ldots \cdot k_n!} x^{k_1+\ldots +k_n} \right) \ . $$
Let $(a_n)_{n \geq 1}$ be a sequence of real numbers. We define a sequence of real functions $(f_n)_{n \geq 0}$ such that for all $x \in \mathbb{R}$, the following holds: \[ f_0(x) = 1 \quad \text{and} \quad f_n(x) = \int_{a_n}^{x} f_{n-1}(t) \, dt \quad \text{for } n \geq 1. \] Find all possible sequences $(a_n)_{n \geq 1}$ such that $f_n(0) = 0$ for all $n \geq 2$.\\ [b]Note:[/b] It is not necessarily true that $f_1(0) = 0$.
The set $ \{a_0, a_1, \ldots, a_n\}$ of real numbers satisfies the following conditions: [b](i)[/b] $ a_0 \equal{} a_n \equal{} 0,$ [b](ii)[/b] for $ 1 \leq k \leq n \minus{} 1,$ \[ a_k \equal{} c \plus{} \sum^{n\minus{}1}_{i\equal{}k} a_{i\minus{}k} \cdot \left(a_i \plus{} a_{i\plus{}1} \right)\] Prove that $ c \leq \frac{1}{4n}.$
Let $n$ be a positive integer and let $\alpha_n $ be the number of $1$'s within binary representation of $n$. Show that for all positive integers $r$, \[2^{2n-\alpha_n}\phantom{-1} \bigg|^{\phantom{0}}_{\phantom{-1}} \sum_{k=-n}^{n} \binom{2n}{n+k} k^{2r}.\]
Let $p > 1$ be a natural number. Consider the set $F_p$ of all non-constant sequences of non-negative integers that satisfy the recursive relation $a_{n+1} = (p+1)a_n - pa_{n-1}$ for all $n > 0$. Show that there exists a sequence ($a_n$) in $F_p$ with the property that for every other sequence ($b_n$) in $F_p$, the inequality $a_n \le b_n$ holds for all $n$.
Let $P(x)$ be a nonzero polynomial with integer coefficients. Let $a_{0}=0$ and for $i \ge 0$ define $a_{i+1}=P(a_{i})$. Show that $\gcd ( a_{m}, a_{n})=a_{ \gcd (m, n)}$ for all $m, n \in \mathbb{N}$.
Let $M_n$ be the $n\times n$ matrix with entries as follows: for $1\leq i \leq n$, $m_{i,i}=10$; for $1\leq i \leq n-1, m_{i+1,i}=m_{i,i+1}=3$; all other entries in $M_n$ are zero. Let $D_n$ be the determinant of matrix $M_n$. Then $\displaystyle \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \dfrac{1}{8D_n+1}$ can be represented as $\frac{p}{q}$, where $p$ and $q$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find $p+q$. Note: The determinant of the $1\times 1$ matrix $[a]$ is $a$, and the determinant of the $2\times 2$ matrix $\left[ \begin{array}{cc} a & b \\ c & d \end{array} \right]=ad-bc$; for $n\geq 2$, the determinant of an $n\times n$ matrix with first row or first column $a_1\ a_2\ a_3 \dots\ a_n$ is equal to $a_1C_1 - a_2C_2 + a_3C_3 - \dots + (-1)^{n+1} a_nC_n$, where $C_i$ is the determinant of the $(n-1)\times (n-1)$ matrix found by eliminating the row and column containing $a_i$.
Let the sequence $\{a_n\}$ , $n \ge 0$ satisfy the recurrence relation $$a_{n + 2} =4a_{n + 1}-3a_n, \ \ (1) $$ Let us define the sequence $\{b_n\}$ , $n \ge 1$ by the relation $$b_n= \left[ \frac{a_{n+1}}{a_{n-1}} \right]$$ where we put $b_n =1$ for $a_{n-1}=0$. Prove that, starting from a certain term, the sequence also satisfies the recurrence relation (1). Note: $[x]$ indicates the whole part of the number $x$.
The sequence $ \{x_{n}\}$ is defined by $ x_{1} \equal{} 2,x_{2} \equal{} 12$, and $ x_{n \plus{} 2} \equal{} 6x_{n \plus{} 1} \minus{} x_{n}$, $ (n \equal{} 1,2,\ldots)$. Let $ p$ be an odd prime number, let $ q$ be a prime divisor of $ x_{p}$. Prove that if $ q\neq2,3,$ then $ q\geq 2p \minus{} 1$.
The sequence $(a_n)$ is defined with the recursion $a_{n + 1} = 5a^6_n + 3a^3_{n-1} + a^2_{n-2}$ for $n\ge 2$ and the set of initial values $\{a_0, a_1, a_2\} = \{2013, 2014, 2015\}$. (That is, the initial values are these three numbers in any order.) Show that the sequence contains no sixth power of a natural number.
A sequence with first two terms equal $1$ and $24$ respectively is defined by the following rule: each subsequent term is equal to the smallest positive integer which has not yet occurred in the sequence and is not coprime with the previous term. Prove that all positive integers occur in this sequence.
Define the sequence of positive integers $f_n$ by $f_0 = 1, f_1 = 1, f_{n+2} = f_{n+1} + f_n$. Show that $f_n =\frac{ (a^{n+1} - b^{n+1})}{\sqrt5}$, where $a, b$ are real numbers such that $a + b = 1, ab = -1$ and $a > b$.
$(MON 2)$ Given reals $x_0, x_1, \alpha, \beta$, find an expression for the solution of the system \[x_{n+2} -\alpha x_{n+1} -\beta x_n = 0, \qquad n= 0, 1, 2, \ldots\]
The Bernoulli sequence $\{B_{n}\}_{n \ge 0}$ is defined by \[B_{0}=1, \; B_{n}=-\frac{1}{n+1}\sum^{n}_{k=0}{{n+1}\choose k}B_{k}\;\; (n \ge 1)\] Show that for all $n \in \mathbb{N}$, \[(-1)^{n}B_{n}-\sum \frac{1}{p},\] is an integer where the summation is done over all primes $p$ such that $p| 2k-1$.