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k a April Highlights and 2025 AoPS Online Class Information
jlacosta   0
Apr 2, 2025
Spring is in full swing and summer is right around the corner, what are your plans? At AoPS Online our schedule has new classes starting now through July, so be sure to keep your skills sharp and be prepared for the Fall school year! Check out the schedule of upcoming classes below.

WOOT early bird pricing is in effect, don’t miss out! If you took MathWOOT Level 2 last year, no worries, it is all new problems this year! Our Worldwide Online Olympiad Training program is for high school level competitors. AoPS designed these courses to help our top students get the deep focus they need to succeed in their specific competition goals. Check out the details at this link for all our WOOT programs in math, computer science, chemistry, and physics.

Looking for summer camps in math and language arts? Be sure to check out the video-based summer camps offered at the Virtual Campus that are 2- to 4-weeks in duration. There are middle and high school competition math camps as well as Math Beasts camps that review key topics coupled with fun explorations covering areas such as graph theory (Math Beasts Camp 6), cryptography (Math Beasts Camp 7-8), and topology (Math Beasts Camp 8-9)!

Be sure to mark your calendars for the following events:
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April 9th (Webinar), 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Learn about Video-based Summer Camps at the Virtual Campus
[*]April 10th (Math Jam), 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET, 2025 MathILy and MathILy-Er Math Jam: Multibackwards Numbers
[*]April 22nd (Webinar), 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Competitive Programming at AoPS (USACO).[/list]
Our full course list for upcoming classes is below:
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0 replies
jlacosta
Apr 2, 2025
0 replies
k i Adding contests to the Contest Collections
dcouchman   1
N Apr 5, 2023 by v_Enhance
Want to help AoPS remain a valuable Olympiad resource? Help us add contests to AoPS's Contest Collections.

Find instructions and a list of contests to add here: https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c40244h1064480_contests_to_add
1 reply
dcouchman
Sep 9, 2019
v_Enhance
Apr 5, 2023
k i Zero tolerance
ZetaX   49
N May 4, 2019 by NoDealsHere
Source: Use your common sense! (enough is enough)
Some users don't want to learn, some other simply ignore advises.
But please follow the following guideline:


To make it short: ALWAYS USE YOUR COMMON SENSE IF POSTING!
If you don't have common sense, don't post.


More specifically:

For new threads:


a) Good, meaningful title:
The title has to say what the problem is about in best way possible.
If that title occured already, it's definitely bad. And contest names aren't good either.
That's in fact a requirement for being able to search old problems.

Examples:
Bad titles:
- "Hard"/"Medium"/"Easy" (if you find it so cool how hard/easy it is, tell it in the post and use a title that tells us the problem)
- "Number Theory" (hey guy, guess why this forum's named that way¿ and is it the only such problem on earth¿)
- "Fibonacci" (there are millions of Fibonacci problems out there, all posted and named the same...)
- "Chinese TST 2003" (does this say anything about the problem¿)
Good titles:
- "On divisors of a³+2b³+4c³-6abc"
- "Number of solutions to x²+y²=6z²"
- "Fibonacci numbers are never squares"


b) Use search function:
Before posting a "new" problem spend at least two, better five, minutes to look if this problem was posted before. If it was, don't repost it. If you have anything important to say on topic, post it in one of the older threads.
If the thread is locked cause of this, use search function.

Update (by Amir Hossein). The best way to search for two keywords in AoPS is to input
[code]+"first keyword" +"second keyword"[/code]
so that any post containing both strings "first word" and "second form".


c) Good problem statement:
Some recent really bad post was:
[quote]$lim_{n\to 1}^{+\infty}\frac{1}{n}-lnn$[/quote]
It contains no question and no answer.
If you do this, too, you are on the best way to get your thread deleted. Write everything clearly, define where your variables come from (and define the "natural" numbers if used). Additionally read your post at least twice before submitting. After you sent it, read it again and use the Edit-Button if necessary to correct errors.


For answers to already existing threads:


d) Of any interest and with content:
Don't post things that are more trivial than completely obvious. For example, if the question is to solve $x^{3}+y^{3}=z^{3}$, do not answer with "$x=y=z=0$ is a solution" only. Either you post any kind of proof or at least something unexpected (like "$x=1337, y=481, z=42$ is the smallest solution). Someone that does not see that $x=y=z=0$ is a solution of the above without your post is completely wrong here, this is an IMO-level forum.
Similar, posting "I have solved this problem" but not posting anything else is not welcome; it even looks that you just want to show off what a genius you are.

e) Well written and checked answers:
Like c) for new threads, check your solutions at least twice for mistakes. And after sending, read it again and use the Edit-Button if necessary to correct errors.



To repeat it: ALWAYS USE YOUR COMMON SENSE IF POSTING!


Everything definitely out of range of common sense will be locked or deleted (exept for new users having less than about 42 posts, they are newbies and need/get some time to learn).

The above rules will be applied from next monday (5. march of 2007).
Feel free to discuss on this here.
49 replies
ZetaX
Feb 27, 2007
NoDealsHere
May 4, 2019
Radical Axes and circles
mathprodigy2011   2
N an hour ago by mathprodigy2011
Can someone explain how to do this purely geometrically?
2 replies
mathprodigy2011
2 hours ago
mathprodigy2011
an hour ago
Interesting F.E
Jackson0423   13
N an hour ago by ja.
Show that there does not exist a function
\[
f : \mathbb{R}^+ \to \mathbb{R}
\]satisfying the condition that for all \( x, y \in \mathbb{R}^+ \),
\[
f(x + y^2) \geq f(x) + y.
\]

~Korea 2017 P7
13 replies
Jackson0423
Apr 18, 2025
ja.
an hour ago
Bushy and Jumpy and the unhappy walnut reordering
popcorn1   51
N an hour ago by Blast_S1
Source: IMO 2021 P5
Two squirrels, Bushy and Jumpy, have collected 2021 walnuts for the winter. Jumpy numbers the walnuts from 1 through 2021, and digs 2021 little holes in a circular pattern in the ground around their favourite tree. The next morning Jumpy notices that Bushy had placed one walnut into each hole, but had paid no attention to the numbering. Unhappy, Jumpy decides to reorder the walnuts by performing a sequence of 2021 moves. In the $k$-th move, Jumpy swaps the positions of the two walnuts adjacent to walnut $k$.

Prove that there exists a value of $k$ such that, on the $k$-th move, Jumpy swaps some walnuts $a$ and $b$ such that $a<k<b$.
51 replies
popcorn1
Jul 20, 2021
Blast_S1
an hour ago
basically INAMO 2010/6
iStud   4
N an hour ago by ja.
Source: Monthly Contest KTOM April P1 Essay
Call $n$ kawaii if it satisfies $d(n)+\varphi(n)=n+1$ ($d(n)$ is the number of positive factors of $n$, while $\varphi(n)$ is the number of integers not more than $n$ that are relatively prime with $n$). Find all $n$ that is kawaii.
4 replies
iStud
Yesterday at 9:31 PM
ja.
an hour ago
Challenging Optimization Problem
Shiyul   3
N an hour ago by lbh_qys
Let $xyz = 1$. Find the minimum and maximum values of $\frac{1}{1 + x + xy}$ + $\frac{1}{1 + y + yz}$ + $\frac{1}{1 + z + zx}$

Can anyone give me a hint? I got that either the minimum or maximum was 1, but I'm sure if I'm correct.
3 replies
Shiyul
Yesterday at 8:20 PM
lbh_qys
an hour ago
2021 EGMO P2: f(xf(x)+y) = f(y) + x^2 for rational x, y
anser   79
N 2 hours ago by NuMBeRaToRiC
Source: 2021 EGMO P2
Find all functions $f:\mathbb{Q}\to\mathbb{Q}$ such that the equation
\[f(xf(x)+y) = f(y) + x^2\]holds for all rational numbers $x$ and $y$.

Here, $\mathbb{Q}$ denotes the set of rational numbers.
79 replies
anser
Apr 13, 2021
NuMBeRaToRiC
2 hours ago
3D geometry theorem
KAME06   1
N 2 hours ago by mathuz
Let $M$ a point in the space and $G$ the centroid of a tetrahedron $ABCD$. Prove that:
$$\frac{1}{4}(AB^2+AC^2+AD^2+BC^2+BD^2+CD^2)+4MG^2=MA^2+MB^2+MC^2+MD^2$$
1 reply
KAME06
5 hours ago
mathuz
2 hours ago
IMO Shortlist 2012, Number Theory 6
mathmdmb   42
N 3 hours ago by ihategeo_1969
Source: IMO Shortlist 2012, Number Theory 6
Let $x$ and $y$ be positive integers. If ${x^{2^n}}-1$ is divisible by $2^ny+1$ for every positive integer $n$, prove that $x=1$.
42 replies
mathmdmb
Jul 26, 2013
ihategeo_1969
3 hours ago
Simiplifying a Complicated Expression
phiReKaLk6781   5
N 3 hours ago by P162008
Simplify: $ \frac{a^3}{(a-b)(a-c)}+\frac{b^3}{(b-a)(b-c)}+\frac{c^3}{(c-a)(c-b)}$
5 replies
phiReKaLk6781
Mar 15, 2010
P162008
3 hours ago
2006 SMT Algebra #8 - Evaluate
bluecarneal   4
N 3 hours ago by P162008
Evaluate:
\[\sum^{10}_{x=2} \dfrac{2}{x(x^2-1)}\]
.
4 replies
bluecarneal
Aug 24, 2011
P162008
3 hours ago
GCD of a sequence
oVlad   7
N 4 hours ago by grupyorum
Source: Romania EGMO TST 2017 Day 1 P2
Determine all pairs $(a,b)$ of positive integers with the following property: all of the terms of the sequence $(a^n+b^n+1)_{n\geqslant 1}$ have a greatest common divisor $d>1.$
7 replies
oVlad
Yesterday at 1:35 PM
grupyorum
4 hours ago
Another System
worthawholebean   3
N 4 hours ago by P162008
Source: HMMT 2008 Guts Problem 33
Let $ a$, $ b$, $ c$ be nonzero real numbers such that $ a+b+c=0$ and $ a^3+b^3+c^3=a^5+b^5+c^5$. Find the value of
$ a^2+b^2+c^2$.
3 replies
worthawholebean
May 13, 2008
P162008
4 hours ago
Inequality with three conditions
oVlad   2
N 4 hours ago by Quantum-Phantom
Source: Romania EGMO TST 2019 Day 1 P3
Let $a,b,c$ be non-negative real numbers such that \[b+c\leqslant a+1,\quad c+a\leqslant b+1,\quad a+b\leqslant c+1.\]Prove that $a^2+b^2+c^2\leqslant 2abc+1.$
2 replies
oVlad
Yesterday at 1:48 PM
Quantum-Phantom
4 hours ago
GCD Functional Equation
pinetree1   61
N 5 hours ago by ihategeo_1969
Source: USA TSTST 2019 Problem 7
Let $f: \mathbb Z\to \{1, 2, \dots, 10^{100}\}$ be a function satisfying
$$\gcd(f(x), f(y)) = \gcd(f(x), x-y)$$for all integers $x$ and $y$. Show that there exist positive integers $m$ and $n$ such that $f(x) = \gcd(m+x, n)$ for all integers $x$.

Ankan Bhattacharya
61 replies
pinetree1
Jun 25, 2019
ihategeo_1969
5 hours ago
Applying AM-GM
chezbgone   27
N Jun 17, 2020 by mathismyfav2020
I understand what the AM-GM inequality states, however, I don't know how to apply it to problems.

I haven't found many helpful resources online, so can somebody kindly give me a tutorial?
27 replies
chezbgone
Dec 25, 2013
mathismyfav2020
Jun 17, 2020
Applying AM-GM
G H J
G H BBookmark kLocked kLocked NReply
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chezbgone
1523 posts
#1 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
I understand what the AM-GM inequality states, however, I don't know how to apply it to problems.

I haven't found many helpful resources online, so can somebody kindly give me a tutorial?
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TheMaskedMagician
2955 posts
#2 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Example(credit to vinny)
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AkshajK
4820 posts
#3 • 2 Y
Y by dantx5, Adventure10
Example two: Show that $(x+y)(y+z)(z+x) \ge 8xyz$ for $x,y,z \ge 0$
Example three: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{a}{b} + \dfrac{b}{c} + \dfrac{c}{a}$ for positive reals $a,b,c$.
Example four: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{(a^3 + b^3 + 1)(b^3 + c^3 + 1)(c^3 + a^3 + 1)}{a^2b^2c^2}$ for positve reals $a,b,c$.
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csmath
295 posts
#4 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
Basically, in my experience AM-GM is useful to do minimization problems, or sometimes maximization problems if applied "in reverse". All of the examples above are basically minimization/maximization.
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AkshajK
4820 posts
#5 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Not necessarily:

Solve the equation \[ a^4 + b^4 = 4ab - 2\] in positive reals.
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TheMaskedMagician
2955 posts
#6 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
AkshajK wrote:
Example two: Show that $(x+y)(y+z)(z+x) \ge 8xyz$ for $x,y,z \ge 0$
Example three: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{a}{b} + \dfrac{b}{c} + \dfrac{c}{a}$ for positive reals $a,b,c$.
Example four: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{(a^3 + b^3 + 1)(b^3 + c^3 + 1)(c^3 + a^3 + 1)}{a^2b^2c^2}$ for positve reals $a,b,c$.

Solution 3
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by TheMaskedMagician, Dec 25, 2013, 5:43 PM
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tastymath75025
3223 posts
#7 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
2
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DanielL2000
985 posts
#8 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Hey ashajK
Can you post solutions (of course hidden for those of us still trying to solve).
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tastymath75025
3223 posts
#9 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
AkshajK wrote:
Not necessarily:

Solve the equation \[ a^4 + b^4 = 4ab - 2\] in positive reals.

sol
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cobbler
2180 posts
#10 • 5 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247, and 3 other users
vincenthuang75025 wrote:
2
That's the long way. Here's a nicer method.

2
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tastymath75025
3223 posts
#11 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Here's another example
inequality

Edit @below: whoops I forgot this was mathcounts
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by tastymath75025, Dec 25, 2013, 5:45 PM
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TheMaskedMagician
2955 posts
#12 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Would these kind of inequalities be on mathcounts?
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forthegreatergood
2739 posts
#13 • 3 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247, and 1 other user
TheMaskedMagician wrote:
AkshajK wrote:
Example two: Show that $(x+y)(y+z)(z+x) \ge 8xyz$ for $x,y,z \ge 0$
Example three: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{a}{b} + \dfrac{b}{c} + \dfrac{c}{a}$ for positive reals $a,b,c$.

[/hide]


Problem Number Three
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by forthegreatergood, Dec 25, 2013, 9:17 PM
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tastymath75025
3223 posts
#14 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
forthegreatergood wrote:
TheMaskedMagician wrote:
AkshajK wrote:
Example two: Show that $(x+y)(y+z)(z+x) \ge 8xyz$ for $x,y,z \ge 0$
Example three: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{a}{b} + \dfrac{b}{c} + \dfrac{c}{a}$ for positive reals $a,b,c$.

[/hide]

Applying...waitforit...amgm to the expression gives:

$a/b + b/c + c/a = 2\sqrt{1}$

So the answer is just $\boxed{2}$ when $a=b=c$

umm it should be 3 right? (we can see this with Rearrangement more easily) I think your error is that we are using 3-variable AM-GM
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TheMaskedMagician
2955 posts
#15 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
fttg, I already posted a solution for that one.
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djmathman
7938 posts
#16 • 2 Y
Y by HamstPan38825, Adventure10
AkshajK wrote:
Example two: Show that $(x+y)(y+z)(z+x) \ge 8xyz$ for $x,y,z \ge 0$
Example three: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{a}{b} + \dfrac{b}{c} + \dfrac{c}{a}$ for positive reals $a,b,c$.
Example four: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{(a^3 + b^3 + 1)(b^3 + c^3 + 1)(c^3 + a^3 + 1)}{a^2b^2c^2}$ for positve reals $a,b,c$.

4
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AugustChen
127 posts
#17 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
Btw, these most likely will never be on mathcounts
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AkshajK
4820 posts
#18 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Intended Solution for #2
Intended Solution for #5
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speck
1727 posts
#19 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
@AugustChen: If they didn't ask for the proof along with the answer, they are very close to MathCounts problems.
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BOGTRO
5818 posts
#20 • 3 Y
Y by rae306, Adventure10, Mango247
One of my favorite problems to introduce AM-GM: Find the smallest possible value of the expression $4x+\frac{1}{x^4}$ where $x$ is a positive real number.
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Binomial-theorem
3982 posts
#21 • 2 Y
Y by Kaladesh, Adventure10
Solution to BOGTRO's
Extension:
Find the smallest possible value of $ax^{m}+\frac{b}{x^n}$ for $a,b,m,n$ positive integers.
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AkshajK
4820 posts
#22 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
Solution
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tastymath75025
3223 posts
#23 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
So...planning on starting a high school basics inequality marathon?

I actually like the idea
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ssilwa
5451 posts
#24 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Here are a few tricky ones that can be solved by AM GM alone, although ingenuity is also a must ;)
IMO 1995.2 wrote:
$a,b,c$ are positive reals with $abc = 1$. Prove

\[ \sum_{cyc} \frac{1}{a^3(b+c)} \ge \frac{3}2\]
Internet wrote:
$a,b,c$ are non negative reals such that $a+b+c = 1$. Prove

\[ a^3+b^3+c^3+6abc \ge \frac{1} 4 \]
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DanielL2000
985 posts
#25 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Guys just make an AM-GM, Cauchy schwarz, etc. marathon
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AlgebraFC
512 posts
#26 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
For the sake of completeness, I'll solve the two problems in post 24. I can't find a solution for the second problem using AM-GM, but it is pretty straightforward nontheless.
IMO 1995.2 wrote:
$a,b,c$ are positive reals with $abc = 1$. Prove

\[ \sum_{cyc} \frac{1}{a^3(b+c)} \ge \frac{3}2\]
Solution
Internet wrote:
$a,b,c$ are non negative reals such that $a+b+c = 1$. Prove

\[ a^3+b^3+c^3+6abc \ge \frac{1} 4 \]
Solution
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mathismyfav2020
23 posts
#27
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AkshajK wrote:
Example two: Show that $(x+y)(y+z)(z+x) \ge 8xyz$ for $x,y,z \ge 0$
Example three: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{a}{b} + \dfrac{b}{c} + \dfrac{c}{a}$ for positive reals $a,b,c$.
Example four: Find, with proof, the minimum possible value of $\dfrac{(a^3 + b^3 + 1)(b^3 + c^3 + 1)(c^3 + a^3 + 1)}{a^2b^2c^2}$ for positve reals $a,b,c$.

solutions
This post has been edited 2 times. Last edited by mathismyfav2020, Jun 18, 2020, 11:25 AM
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mathismyfav2020
23 posts
#28
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I just realized that this post was posted in 2013
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