Olympiad problems

2022 Romania Team Selection Test, 4

Can every positive rational number $q$ be written as $$\frac{a^{2021} + b^{2023}}{c^{2022} + d^{2024}},$$ where $a, b, c, d$ are all positive integers? [i]Proposed by Dominic Yeo, UK[/i]

2021 Balkan MO Shortlist, A2

Tags: shortlist , algebra , functional inequality

Find all functions $f: \mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$ such that $$f(x^2 + y) \ge (\frac{1}{x} + 1)f(y)$$ holds for all $x \in \mathbb{R} \setminus \{0\}$ and all $y \in \mathbb{R}$.

2021 JBMO Shortlist, G5

Tags: shortlist , geometry , angle chasing

Let $ABC$ be an acute scalene triangle with circumcircle $\omega$. Let $P$ and $Q$ be interior points of the sides $AB$ and $AC$, respectively, such that $PQ$ is parallel to $BC$. Let $L$ be a point on $\omega$ such that $AL$ is parallel to $BC$. The segments $BQ$ and $CP$ intersect at $S$. The line $LS$ intersects $\omega$ at $K$. Prove that $\angle BKP = \angle CKQ$. Proposed by [i]Ervin Macić, Bosnia and Herzegovina[/i]

2021 JBMO Shortlist, C2

Tags: shortlist , combinatorics , board

Let $n$ be a positive integer. We are given a $3n \times 3n$ board whose unit squares are colored in black and white in such way that starting with the top left square, every third diagonal is colored in black and the rest of the board is in white. In one move, one can take a $2 \times 2$ square and change the color of all its squares in such way that white squares become orange, orange ones become black and black ones become white. Find all $n$ for which, using a finite number of moves, we can make all the squares which were initially black white, and all squares which were initially white black. Proposed by [i]Boris Stanković and Marko Dimitrić, Bosnia and Herzegovina[/i]

2020 JBMO Shortlist, 1

Tags: shortlist , geometry

Let $\triangle ABC$ be an acute triangle. The line through $A$ perpendicular to $BC$ intersects $BC$ at $D$. Let $E$ be the midpoint of $AD$ and $\omega$ the the circle with center $E$ and radius equal to $AE$. The line $BE$ intersects $\omega$ at a point $X$ such that $X$ and $B$ are not on the same side of $AD$ and the line $CE$ intersects $\omega$ at a point $Y$ such that $C$ and $Y$ are not on the same side of $AD$. If both of the intersection points of the circumcircles of $\triangle BDX$ and $\triangle CDY$ lie on the line $AD$, prove that $AB = AC$.

2021 Saudi Arabia JBMO TST, 3

Tags: shortlist , algebra , sequence

Consider the sequence $a_1, a_2, a_3, ...$ defined by $a_1 = 9$ and $a_{n + 1} = \frac{(n + 5)a_n + 22}{n + 3}$ for $n \ge 1$. Find all natural numbers $n$ for which $a_n$ is a perfect square of an integer.

2021 JBMO Shortlist, N6

Tags: shortlist , number theory , modulo

Given a positive integer $n \ge 2$, we define $f(n)$ to be the sum of all remainders obtained by dividing $n$ by all positive integers less than $n$. For example dividing $5$ with $1, 2, 3$ and $4$ we have remainders equal to $0, 1, 2$ and $1$ respectively. Therefore $f(5) = 0 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 4$. Find all positive integers $n \ge 3$ such that $f(n) = f(n - 1) + (n - 2)$.

2020 JBMO Shortlist, 7

Tags: shortlist , number theory

Prove that there doesn’t exist any prime $p$ such that every power of $p$ is a palindrome (a palindrome is a number that is read the same from the left as it is from the right; in particular, a number that ends in one or more zeros cannot be a palindrome).

2022 JBMO Shortlist, C1

Tags: combinatorics , game , shortlist

Anna and Bob, with Anna starting first, alternately color the integers of the set $S = \{1, 2, ..., 2022 \}$ red or blue. At their turn each one can color any uncolored number of $S$ they wish with any color they wish. The game ends when all numbers of $S$ get colored. Let $N$ be the number of pairs $(a, b)$, where $a$ and $b$ are elements of $S$, such that $a$, $b$ have the same color, and $b - a = 3$. Anna wishes to maximize $N$. What is the maximum value of $N$ that she can achieve regardless of how Bob plays?

2022 JBMO Shortlist, C2

Tags: combinatorics , geometry , shortlist

Let $n \ge 2$ be an integer. Alex writes the numbers $1, 2, ..., n$ in some order on a circle such that any two neighbours are coprime. Then, for any two numbers that are not comprime, Alex draws a line segment between them. For each such segment $s$ we denote by $d_s$ the difference of the numbers written in its extremities and by $p_s$ the number of all other drawn segments which intersect $s$ in its interior. Find the greatest $n$ for which Alex can write the numbers on the circle such that $p_s \le |d_s|$, for each drawn segment $s$.

2020 JBMO Shortlist, 2

Tags: shortlist , combinatorics

Viktor and Natalia bought $2020$ buckets of ice-cream and want to organize a degustation schedule with $2020$ rounds such that: - In every round, both of them try $1$ ice-cream, and those $2$ ice-creams tried in a single round are different from each other. - At the end of the $2020$ rounds, both of them have tried each ice-cream exactly once. We will call a degustation schedule fair if the number of ice-creams that were tried by Viktor before Natalia is equal to the number of ice creams tried by Natalia before Viktor. Prove that the number of fair schedules is strictly larger than $2020!(2^{1010} + (1010!)^2)$. [i]Proposed by Viktor Simjanoski, Macedonia [/i]

2021 Balkan MO Shortlist, N1

Tags: shortlist , number theory , arithmetic mean

Let $n \geq 2$ be an integer and let \[M=\bigg\{\frac{a_1 + a_2 + ... + a_k}{k}: 1 \le k \le n\text{ and }1 \le a_1 < \ldots < a_k \le n\bigg\}\] be the set of the arithmetic means of the elements of all non-empty subsets of $\{1, 2, ..., n\}$. Find \[\min\{|a - b| : a, b \in M\text{ with } a \neq b\}.\]

2021 Balkan MO Shortlist, G1

Tags: shortlist , geometry , concurrency

Let $ABC$ be a triangle with $AB < AC < BC$. On the side $BC$ we consider points $D$ and $E$ such that $BA = BD$ and $CE = CA$. Let $K$ be the circumcenter of triangle $ADE$ and let $F$, $G$ be the points of intersection of the lines $AD$, $KC$ and $AE$, $KB$ respectively. Let $\omega_1$ be the circumcircle of triangle $KDE$, $\omega_2$ the circle with center $F$ and radius $FE$, and $\omega_3$ the circle with center $G$ and radius $GD$. Prove that $\omega_1$, $\omega_2$, and $\omega_3$ pass through the same point and that this point of intersection lies on the line $AK$.

2022 Bulgaria EGMO TST, 4

Tags: shortlist , number theory , sequence , recursion , existence , admiration

Denote by $l(n)$ the largest prime divisor of $n$. Let $a_{n+1} = a_n + l(a_n)$ be a recursively defined sequence of integers with $a_1 = 2$. Determine all natural numbers $m$ such that there exists some $i \in \mathbb{N}$ with $a_i = m^2$. [i]Proposed by Nikola Velov, North Macedonia[/i]

2021 JBMO Shortlist, A2

Tags: shortlist , algebra , sequence

Let $n > 3$ be a positive integer. Find all integers $k$ such that $1 \le k \le n$ and for which the following property holds: If $x_1, . . . , x_n$ are $n$ real numbers such that $x_i + x_{i + 1} + ... + x_{i + k - 1} = 0$ for all integers $i > 1$ (indexes are taken modulo $n$), then $x_1 = . . . = x_n = 0$. Proposed by [i]Vincent Jugé and Théo Lenoir, France[/i]

2022 JBMO Shortlist, N1

Tags: factorial , sum of integers , shortlist , number theory

Determine all pairs $(k, n)$ of positive integers that satisfy $$1! + 2! + ... + k! = 1 + 2 + ... + n.$$

2021 Balkan MO Shortlist, G4

Tags: shortlist , incenter , excenter , geometry

Let $ABC$ be a right-angled triangle with $\angle BAC = 90^{\circ}$. Let the height from $A$ cut its side $BC$ at $D$. Let $I, I_B, I_C$ be the incenters of triangles $ABC, ABD, ACD$ respectively. Let also $EB, EC$ be the excenters of $ABC$ with respect to vertices $B$ and $C$ respectively. If $K$ is the point of intersection of the circumcircles of $E_CIB_I$ and $E_BIC_I$, show that $KI$ passes through the midpoint $M$ of side $BC$.

2022 Azerbaijan JBMO TST, C5?

Tags: shortlist , combinatorics , coloring , board

Alice and Bob play a game together as a team on a $100 \times 100$ board with all unit squares initially white. Alice sets up the game by coloring exactly $k$ of the unit squares red at the beginning. After that, a legal move for Bob is to choose a row or column with at least $10$ red squares and color all of the remaining squares in it red. What is the smallest $k$ such that Alice can set up a game in such a way that Bob can color the entire board red after finitely many moves? Proposed by [i]Nikola Velov, Macedonia[/i]

2022 JBMO Shortlist, C6

Tags: combinatorics , board , shortlist

Let $n \ge 2$ be an integer. In each cell of a $4n \times 4n$ table we write the sum of the cell row index and the cell column index. Initially, no cell is colored. A move consists of choosing two cells which are not colored and coloring one of them in red and one of them in blue. Show that, however Alex perfors $n^2$ moves, Jane can afterwards perform a number of moves (eventually none) after which the sum of the numbers written in the red cells is the same as the sum of the numbers written in the blue ones.

2023 Azerbaijan JBMO TST, 1

Tags: number theory , lcm , shortlist , inequality

Let $a < b < c < d < e$ be positive integers. Prove that $$\frac{1}{[a, b]} + \frac{1}{[b, c]} + \frac{1}{[c, d]} + \frac{2}{[d, e]} \le 1$$ where $[x, y]$ is the least common multiple of $x$ and $y$ (e.g., $[6, 10] = 30$). When does equality hold?

2021 Balkan MO Shortlist, N2

Tags: shortlist , number theory , sequence , recursion , existence , admiration

Denote by $l(n)$ the largest prime divisor of $n$. Let $a_{n+1} = a_n + l(a_n)$ be a recursively defined sequence of integers with $a_1 = 2$. Determine all natural numbers $m$ such that there exists some $i \in \mathbb{N}$ with $a_i = m^2$. [i]Proposed by Nikola Velov, North Macedonia[/i]

2021 JBMO Shortlist, C3

Tags: shortlist , combinatorics , process

We have a set of $343$ closed jars, each containing blue, yellow and red marbles with the number of marbles from each color being at least $1$ and at most $7$. No two jars have exactly the same contents. Initially all jars are with the caps up. To flip a jar will mean to change its position from cap-up to cap-down or vice versa. It is allowed to choose a triple of positive integers $(b; y; r) \in \{1; 2; ...; 7\}^3$ and flip all the jars whose number of blue, yellow and red marbles differ by not more than $1$ from $b, y, r$, respectively. After $n$ moves all the jars turned out to be with the caps down. Find the number of all possible values of $n$, if $n \le 2021$.

2021 JBMO Shortlist, C6

Tags: shortlist , combinatorics , game , board coloring

Given an $m \times n$ table consisting of $mn$ unit cells. Alice and Bob play the following game: Alice goes first and the one who moves colors one of the empty cells with one of the given three colors. Alice wins if there is a figure, such as the ones below, having three different colors. Otherwise Bob is the winner. Determine the winner for all cases of $m$ and $n$ where $m, n \ge 3$. Proposed by [i]Toghrul Abbasov, Azerbaijan[/i]

2021 Balkan MO Shortlist, G5

Tags: shortlist , geometry , reflection , parallel

Let $ABC$ be an acute triangle with $AC > AB$ and circumcircle $\Gamma$. The tangent from $A$ to $\Gamma$ intersects $BC$ at $T$. Let $M$ be the midpoint of $BC$ and let $R$ be the reflection of $A$ in $B$. Let $S$ be a point so that $SABT$ is a parallelogram and finally let $P$ be a point on line $SB$ such that $MP$ is parallel to $AB$. Given that $P$ lies on $\Gamma$, prove that the circumcircle of $\triangle STR$ is tangent to line $AC$. [i]Proposed by Sam Bealing, United Kingdom[/i]

2022 Romania Team Selection Test, 3

Tags: shortlist , geometry , collinearity

Let $ABC$ be an acute triangle such that $AB < AC$. Let $\omega$ be the circumcircle of $ABC$ and assume that the tangent to $\omega$ at $A$ intersects the line $BC$ at $D$. Let $\Omega$ be the circle with center $D$ and radius $AD$. Denote by $E$ the second intersection point of $\omega$ and $\Omega$. Let $M$ be the midpoint of $BC$. If the line $BE$ meets $\Omega$ again at $X$, and the line $CX$ meets $\Omega$ for the second time at $Y$, show that $A, Y$, and $M$ are collinear. [i]Proposed by Nikola Velov, North Macedonia[/i]