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2010problems March Solns PDF

This document contains solutions to 4 problems from the 2010 New Zealand Mathematical Olympiad. 1) The first problem proves that in a two-player number game, player A has a winning strategy to make the number divisible by 2, 3, or 5. 2) The second problem proves that for any odd positive integer n, n^n - n is divisible by 24. 3) The third problem uses the arithmetic mean-geometric mean inequality to prove an inequality involving (a + b)^3 and ab. 4) The fourth problem uses angle properties to prove that four points related to two intersecting circles lie on a single circle.

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122 views3 pages

2010problems March Solns PDF

This document contains solutions to 4 problems from the 2010 New Zealand Mathematical Olympiad. 1) The first problem proves that in a two-player number game, player A has a winning strategy to make the number divisible by 2, 3, or 5. 2) The second problem proves that for any odd positive integer n, n^n - n is divisible by 24. 3) The third problem uses the arithmetic mean-geometric mean inequality to prove an inequality involving (a + b)^3 and ab. 4) The fourth problem uses angle properties to prove that four points related to two intersecting circles lie on a single circle.

Uploaded by

David David
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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New Zealand Mathematical Olympiad Committee

2010 March Problems — Solutions

1. Two players, A and B, are playing the following game. They take turns writing down the
digits of a six-digit number from left to right; A writes down the first digit, which must be
nonzero, and repetition of digits is not permitted. Player A wins the game if the resulting
six-digit number is divisible by 2, 3 or 5, and B wins otherwise.
Prove that A has a winning strategy.
Solution: Let a1 , a2 , a3 be the digits chosen by player A, and let b1 , b2 , b3 be the
digits chosen by player B. Then the resulting six-digit number is n = a1 b1 a2 b2 a3 b3 , where
a1 6= 0 and the digits are all different.
Let M = {0, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8} and N = {1, 3, 7, 9}. If B is to win she must choose b3 from
N, otherwise n is divisible by 2 or 5. A’s goal then is to leave at most 1 and 7 from N
available at the end of the game, and to choose a3 so that a1 + b1 + a2 + b2 + a3 ≡ 2 mod 3.
If she does this then any choice of b3 from the remaining digits in N makes the sum
a1 + b1 + a2 + b2 + a3 + b3 congruent to 0 mod 3, and A will win because n will be divisible
by 3.
To this end A chooses a1 = 3. This forces B to choose b1 and b2 from M (otherwise A
may exhaust N on her next two choices), freeing A to choose a2 = 9. There are now three
cases, depending on B’s choice of b1 and b2 .

• Case 1: b1 + b2 ≡ 0 mod 3. In this case a1 + b1 + a2 + b2 ≡ 0 mod 3, so A chooses


a3 from {2, 5, 8}. This is always possible, because at least one of these must still be
unchosen.
• Case 2: b1 + b2 ≡ 1 mod 3. In this case a1 + b1 + a2 + b2 ≡ 1 mod 3, and A chooses
a3 = 1.
• Case 3: b1 + b2 ≡ 2 mod 3. In this last case a1 + b1 + a2 + b2 ≡ 2 mod 3, and A
chooses a3 from {0, 6}. This is always possible, because if B has chosen both then
b1 + b2 ≡ 0 mod 3, putting us in Case 1 above.

In all three cases A succeeds in forcing a1 + b1 + a2 + b2 + a3 to be congruent to 2 mod


3, with only 1 and 7 left from N, and therefore wins the game.

2. Prove that nn − n is divisible by 24 for all odd positive integers n.


Solution: Since 24 = 3 × 8 it’s enough to show that nn − n is divisible by both 8 and
3. Since n is odd we may write n = 2k + 1, so nn − n = n(nn−1 − 1) = n(n2k − 1).
To prove divisibility by 8 we will use the fact that m2 − 1 is divisible by 8 whenever m is
odd, i.e., m2 ≡ 1 mod 8 whenever m ≡ 1 mod 2. To prove this write m = 2ℓ + 1. Then
m2 − 1 = 4ℓ2 + 4ℓ = 4ℓ(ℓ + 1), which is obviously divisible by 4; and since either ℓ or ℓ + 1

1
must be even, we get a third factor of 2. Applying to this to our present problem, if n is
odd then nk is too, so (nk )2 − 1 is divisible by 8.
To prove divisibility by 3 we will use the fact that m2 − 1 is divisible by 3 whenever m
itself is not divisible by 3. This follows from Fermat’s Little Theorem, but it can also be
proved directly using the factorisation m2 − 1 = (m − 1)(m + 1). If m is not divisible by
3 then either m − 1 or m + 1 must be divisible by 3 (just consider the remainder when m
is divided by 3), so m2 − 1 will be divisible by 3. Applying this to our present problem,
either n or (nk )2 − 1 will be divisible by 3, and in either case the product n(n2k − 1) has
a factor of 3.

3. Let a and b be real numbers. Prove that the inequality

(a + b)3 27
≥ (1)
ab
2 4
holds.
When does equality hold?
Solution: Since a and b are positive, the inequality is equivalent to
3
a2 b

a+b
≥ .
3 4

To prove this apply the arithmetic mean-geometric mean inequality to a/2, a/2, b. This
gives r
a
+ a2 + b
r
2 aa 3 a b
2
≥ 3
b= ,
3 22 4
and cubing gives the desired result.
Equality holds in the AM-GM inequality when the averaged quantities are all equal, so
equality holds in (1) when b = a/2.

4. Let ABCD be a quadrilateral. The circumcircle of the triangle ABC intersects the sides
CD and DA in the points P and Q respectively, while the circumcircle of CDA intersects
the sides AB and BC in the points R and S. The straight lines BP and BQ intersect
the straight line RS in the points M and N respectively. Prove that the points M, N, P
and Q lie on the same circle.
Solution: By equality of angles subtended on the same chord, ∠BAC = ∠BQC and
∠CQP = ∠CBP (see Figure 1). In addition, quadrilateral ACSR is cyclic, so ∠RSC +
∠RAC = 180◦ , and

∠BSR = 180◦ − ∠RSC (angles on a straight line)


= ∠RAC
= ∠BAC
= ∠BQC.

2
B

R
N M S

A C

Figure 1: Diagram for Problem 4.

Using these relations we obtain

180◦ − ∠P MN = 180◦ − ∠BMS (opposite angles)


= ∠SBM + ∠BSM (angles in triangle)
= ∠CBP + ∠BSR
= ∠CQP + ∠BQC
= ∠BQP
= ∠NQP,

so ∠P MN + ∠NQP = 180◦ . This shows that MNP Q is cyclic.

April 24, 2010


www.mathsolympiad.org.nz

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