Consider a table of cyclic permutations ($n\ge2$) \[ \begin{matrix} 1, & 2, & \ldots, & n-1, & n \\ 2, & 3, & \ldots, & n, & 1, \\ \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots & \vdots \\ n, & 1, & \ldots, & n-2, & n-1. \end{matrix} \] Then multiply each number of the first row by that number of the $k$-th row that is in the same column. Sum all these products and denote $s_k$ the result (e.g. $s_2=1\cdot2+2\cdot3+\cdots+(n-1)\cdot n+n\cdot1$). a) Find a recursive relation for $s_k$ in terms of $s_{k-1}$ and determine the explicit formula for $s_k$. b) Determine both an index $k$ and the value of $s_k$ such that the sum $s_k$ is minimal.

The figure shows a figure of $5$ unit squares, a Greek cross. What is the largest number of Greek crosses that can be placed on a grid of dimensions $8 \times 8$ without any overlaps, with each unit square covering just one square in a grid?

Prove that the unit square can be tiled with rectangles (not necessarily of the same size) similar to a rectangle of size $1\times(3+\sqrt[3]{3})$.

For each natural $n \ge 4$, find the smallest natural number $k$ that satisfies following condition: For an arbitrary arrangement of $k$ chips of two colors on $n\times n$ board, there exists a non-empty set such that all columns and rows contain even number ($0$ is also possible) of chips each color.

Let $n$ be a positive integer and let $t$ be an integer. $n$ distinct integers are written on a table. Bob, sitting in a room nearby, wants to know whether there exist some of these numbers such that their sum is equal to $t$. Alice is standing in front of the table and she wants to help him. At the beginning, she tells him only the initial sum of all numbers on the table. After that, in every move he says one of the $4$ sentences: $i.$ Is there a number on the table equal to $k$? $ii.$ If a number $k$ exists on the table, erase him. $iii.$ If a number $k$ does not exist on the table, add him. $iv.$ Do the numbers written on the table can be arranged in two sets with equal sum of elements? On these questions Alice answers yes or no, and the operations he says to her she does (if it is possible) and does not tell him did she do it. Prove that in less than $3n$ moves, Bob can find out whether there exist numbers initially written on the board such that their sum is equal to $t$

A square is divided into 169 identical small squares and in every small square is written 0 or 1. It isn’t allowed in one row or column to have the following arrangements of adjacent digits in this order: 101, 111 or 1001. What is the the biggest possible number of 1’s in the table?

Each of the cells of a table 2014 x 2014 is colored in white or black. It is known that each square 2 x 2 contains an even number of black cells and each cross (3 x 3 square without its corner cells) contains an odd number of black cells. Prove that the 4 corner cells of the table are in the same color.

Three children wanted to make a table-game. For that purpose they wished to enumerate the $mn$ squares of an $m \times n$ game-board by the numbers $1, ... ,mn$ in such way that the numbers $1$ and $mn$ lie in the corners of the board and the squares with successive numbers have a common edge. The children agreed to place the initial square (with number $1$) in one of the corners but each child wanted to have the final square (with number $mn$ ) in different corner. For which numbers $m$ and $n$ is it possible to satisfy the wish of any of the children?

A plane is cut into unit squares, which are then colored in $n$ colors. A polygon $P$ is created from $n$ unit squares that are connected by their sides. It is known that any cell polygon created by $P$ with translation, covers $n$ unit squares in different colors. Prove that the plane can be covered with copies of $P$ so that each cell is covered exactly once.

Let $n$ be a positive integer. In how many ways can an $n \times n$ table be filled with integers from $0$ to $5$ such that a) the sum of each row is divisible by $2$ and the sum of each column is divisible by $3$ b) the sum of each row is divisible by $2$, the sum of each column is divisible by $3$ and the sum of each of the two diagonals is divisible by $6$?

We are given a rectangular table with a positive integer written in each of its cells. For each cell of the table, the number in it is equal to the total number of different values in the cells that are in the same row or column (including itself). Find all tables with this property.

In how many ways can $31$ squares be marked on an $8 \times 8$ chessboard so that no two of the marked squares have a common side? (R Zhenodarov)

The cells of a $8 \times 8$ table are colored either black or white so that each row has a different number of black squares, and each column has a different number of black squares. What is the maximum number of pairs of adjacent cells of different colors?

Each of the squares on a $15$×$15$ board has a zero. At every step you choose a row or a column, we delete all the numbers from it and then we write the numbers from $1$ to $15$ in the empty cells, in an arbitrary order. find the sum possible maximum of the numbers on the board that can be achieved after a number finite number of steps.

1.1 Let $f(A)$ denote the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of a set $A$. Find the sum of $f(A)$ as $A$ ranges over the subsets of $\{1, 2, \dots, n\}$. 1.2 All cells of an $8 × 8$ board are initially white. A move consists of flipping the color (white to black or vice versa) of cells in a $1\times 3$ or $3\times 1$ rectangle. Determine whether there is a finite sequence of moves resulting in the state where all $64$ cells are black. 1.3 Prove that for all positive integers $m$, there exists a positive integer $n$ such that the set $\{n, n + 1, n + 2, \dots , 3n\}$ contains exactly $m$ perfect squares.

A rectangular array has $m$ rows and $n$ columns, where $m < n$. Some cells of the array contain stars, in such a way that there is at least one star in each column. Prove that there is at least one such star such that the row containing it has more stars than the column containing it. (A. Razborov, Moscow)

In every cell of a table with $n$ rows and $m$ columns is written one of the letters $a$, $b$, $c$. Every two rows of the table have the same letter in at most $k\geq 0$ positions and every two columns coincide at most $k$ positions. Find $m$, $n$, $k$ if \[\frac{2mn+6k}{3(m+n)}\geq k+1\]

We have 19 triminos (2 x 2 squares without one unit square) and infinite amount of 2 x 2 squares. Find the greatest odd number $n$ for which a square $n$ x $n$ can be covered with the given figures.

An $h \times k$ minor of an $n \times n$ table is the $hk$ cells which lie in $h$ rows and $k$ columns. The semiperimeter of the minor is $h + k$. A number of minors each with semiperimeter at least $n$ together include all the cells on the main diagonal. Show that they include at least half the cells in the table.

Nine numbers are arranged in a square table: $a_1 \,\,\, a_2 \,\,\,a_3$ $b_1 \,\,\,b_2 \,\,\,b_3$ $c_1\,\,\, c_2 \,\,\,c_3$ . It is known that the six numbers obtained by summing the rows and columns of the table are equal: $a_1 + a_2 + a_3 = b_1 + b_2 + b_3 = c_1 + c_2 + c_3 = a_1 + b_1 + c_1 = a_2 + b_2 + c_2 = a_3 + b_3 + c_3$ . Prove that the sum of products of numbers in the rows is equal to the sum of products of numbers in the columns: $a_1 b_1 c_1 + a_2 b_2c_2 + a_3b_3c_3 = a_1a_2a_3 + b_1 b_2 b_3 + c_1 c_2c_3$ . (V Proizvolov)

We will call a rectangular table filled with natural numbers [i]“good”[/i], if for each two rows, there exist a column for which its two cells that are also in these two rows, contain numbers of different parity. Prove that for $\forall$ $n>2$ we can erase a column from a [i]good[/i] $n$ x $n$ table so that the remaining $n$ x $(n-1)$ table is also [i]good[/i].

An $n \times m$ table ( $n \le m$ ) is filled in accordance with the rules of the game "Minesweeper": mines are placed at some cells (not more than one mine at the cell) and in the remaining cells one writes the number of the mines in the neighboring (by side or by vertex) cells. Then the sum of allnumbers in the table is computed (this sum is equal to $9$ for the picture). What is the largest possible value of this sum? (V. Lebed) [img]https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/2/9/726ccdbc57807788a5f6e88a5acb42b10a6cc0.png[/img]

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.

Consider an infinite white plane divided into square cells. For which $k$ it is possible to paint a positive finite number of cells black so that on each horizontal, vertical and diagonal line of cells there is either exactly $k$ black cells or none at all? A. Dinev, K. Garov, N Belukhov