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k a May Highlights and 2025 AoPS Online Class Information
jlacosta   0
May 1, 2025
May is an exciting month! National MATHCOUNTS is the second week of May in Washington D.C. and our Founder, Richard Rusczyk will be presenting a seminar, Preparing Strong Math Students for College and Careers, on May 11th.

Are you interested in working towards MATHCOUNTS and don’t know where to start? We have you covered! If you have taken Prealgebra, then you are ready for MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Basics. Already aiming for State or National MATHCOUNTS and harder AMC 8 problems? Then our MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Advanced course is for you.

Summer camps are starting next month at the Virtual Campus in math and language arts that are 2 - to 4 - weeks in duration. Spaces are still available - don’t miss your chance to have an enriching summer experience. 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 upcoming events:
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[*]May 20th, 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Mathcamp 2025 Qualifying Quiz Part 1 Math Jam, Problems 1 to 4, join the Canada/USA Mathcamp staff for this exciting Math Jam, where they discuss solutions to Problems 1 to 4 of the 2025 Mathcamp Qualifying Quiz!
[*]May 21st, 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Mathcamp 2025 Qualifying Quiz Part 2 Math Jam, Problems 5 and 6, Canada/USA Mathcamp staff will discuss solutions to Problems 5 and 6 of the 2025 Mathcamp Qualifying Quiz![/list]
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0 replies
jlacosta
May 1, 2025
0 replies
k i A Letter to MSM
Arr0w   23
N Sep 19, 2022 by scannose
Greetings.

I have seen many posts talking about commonly asked questions, such as finding the value of $0^0$, $\frac{1}{0}$,$\frac{0}{0}$, $\frac{\infty}{\infty}$, why $0.999...=1$ or even expressions of those terms combined as if that would make them defined. I have made this post to answer these questions once and for all, and I politely ask everyone to link this post to threads that are talking about this issue.
[list]
[*]Firstly, the case of $0^0$. It is usually regarded that $0^0=1$, not because this works numerically but because it is convenient to define it this way. You will see the convenience of defining other undefined things later on in this post.

[*]What about $\frac{\infty}{\infty}$? The issue here is that $\infty$ isn't even rigorously defined in this expression. What exactly do we mean by $\infty$? Unless the example in question is put in context in a formal manner, then we say that $\frac{\infty}{\infty}$ is meaningless.

[*]What about $\frac{1}{0}$? Suppose that $x=\frac{1}{0}$. Then we would have $x\cdot 0=0=1$, absurd. A more rigorous treatment of the idea is that $\lim_{x\to0}\frac{1}{x}$ does not exist in the first place, although you will see why in a calculus course. So the point is that $\frac{1}{0}$ is undefined.

[*]What about if $0.99999...=1$? An article from brilliant has a good explanation. Alternatively, you can just use a geometric series. Notice that
\begin{align*}
\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{9}{10^n}&=9\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{10^n}=9\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\biggr(\frac{1}{10}\biggr)^n=9\biggr(\frac{\frac{1}{10}}{1-\frac{1}{10}}\biggr)=9\biggr(\frac{\frac{1}{10}}{\frac{9}{10}}\biggr)=9\biggr(\frac{1}{9}\biggr)=\boxed{1}
\end{align*}
[*]What about $\frac{0}{0}$? Usually this is considered to be an indeterminate form, but I would also wager that this is also undefined.
[/list]
Hopefully all of these issues and their corollaries are finally put to rest. Cheers.

2nd EDIT (6/14/22): Since I originally posted this, it has since blown up so I will try to add additional information per the request of users in the thread below.

INDETERMINATE VS UNDEFINED

What makes something indeterminate? As you can see above, there are many things that are indeterminate. While definitions might vary slightly, it is the consensus that the following definition holds: A mathematical expression is be said to be indeterminate if it is not definitively or precisely determined. So how does this make, say, something like $0/0$ indeterminate? In analysis (the theory behind calculus and beyond), limits involving an algebraic combination of functions in an independent variable may often be evaluated by replacing these functions by their limits. However, if the expression obtained after this substitution does not provide sufficient information to determine the original limit, then the expression is called an indeterminate form. For example, we could say that $0/0$ is an indeterminate form.

But we need to more specific, this is still ambiguous. An indeterminate form is a mathematical expression involving at most two of $0$, $1$ or $\infty$, obtained by applying the algebraic limit theorem (a theorem in analysis, look this up for details) in the process of attempting to determine a limit, which fails to restrict that limit to one specific value or infinity, and thus does not determine the limit being calculated. This is why it is called indeterminate. Some examples of indeterminate forms are
\[0/0, \infty/\infty, \infty-\infty, \infty \times 0\]etc etc. So what makes something undefined? In the broader scope, something being undefined refers to an expression which is not assigned an interpretation or a value. A function is said to be undefined for points outside its domain. For example, the function $f:\mathbb{R}^{+}\cup\{0\}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ given by the mapping $x\mapsto \sqrt{x}$ is undefined for $x<0$. On the other hand, $1/0$ is undefined because dividing by $0$ is not defined in arithmetic by definition. In other words, something is undefined when it is not defined in some mathematical context.

WHEN THE WATERS GET MUDDIED

So with this notion of indeterminate and undefined, things get convoluted. First of all, just because something is indeterminate does not mean it is not undefined. For example $0/0$ is considered both indeterminate and undefined (but in the context of a limit then it is considered in indeterminate form). Additionally, this notion of something being undefined also means that we can define it in some way. To rephrase, this means that technically, we can make something that is undefined to something that is defined as long as we define it. I'll show you what I mean.

One example of making something undefined into something defined is the extended real number line, which we define as
\[\overline{\mathbb{R}}=\mathbb{R}\cup \{-\infty,+\infty\}.\]So instead of treating infinity as an idea, we define infinity (positively and negatively, mind you) as actual numbers in the reals. The advantage of doing this is for two reasons. The first is because we can turn this thing into a totally ordered set. Specifically, we can let $-\infty\le a\le \infty$ for each $a\in\overline{\mathbb{R}}$ which means that via this order topology each subset has an infimum and supremum and $\overline{\mathbb{R}}$ is therefore compact. While this is nice from an analytic standpoint, extending the reals in this way can allow for interesting arithmetic! In $\overline{\mathbb{R}}$ it is perfectly OK to say that,
\begin{align*}
a + \infty = \infty + a & = \infty, & a & \neq -\infty \\
a - \infty = -\infty + a & = -\infty, & a & \neq \infty \\
a \cdot (\pm\infty) = \pm\infty \cdot a & = \pm\infty, & a & \in (0, +\infty] \\
a \cdot (\pm\infty) = \pm\infty \cdot a & = \mp\infty, & a & \in [-\infty, 0) \\
\frac{a}{\pm\infty} & = 0, & a & \in \mathbb{R} \\
\frac{\pm\infty}{a} & = \pm\infty, & a & \in (0, +\infty) \\
\frac{\pm\infty}{a} & = \mp\infty, & a & \in (-\infty, 0).
\end{align*}So addition, multiplication, and division are all defined nicely. However, notice that we have some indeterminate forms here which are also undefined,
\[\infty-\infty,\frac{\pm\infty}{\pm\infty},\frac{\pm\infty}{0},0\cdot \pm\infty.\]So while we define certain things, we also left others undefined/indeterminate in the process! However, in the context of measure theory it is common to define $\infty \times 0=0$ as greenturtle3141 noted below. I encourage to reread what he wrote, it's great stuff! As you may notice, though, dividing by $0$ is undefined still! Is there a place where it isn't? Kind of. To do this, we can extend the complex numbers! More formally, we can define this extension as
\[\mathbb{C}^*=\mathbb{C}\cup\{\tilde{\infty}\}\]which we call the Riemann Sphere (it actually forms a sphere, pretty cool right?). As a note, $\tilde{\infty}$ means complex infinity, since we are in the complex plane now. Here's the catch: division by $0$ is allowed here! In fact, we have
\[\frac{z}{0}=\tilde{\infty},\frac{z}{\tilde{\infty}}=0.\]where $\tilde{\infty}/\tilde{\infty}$ and $0/0$ are left undefined. We also have
\begin{align*}
z+\tilde{\infty}=\tilde{\infty}, \forall z\ne -\infty\\
z\times \tilde{\infty}=\tilde{\infty}, \forall z\ne 0
\end{align*}Furthermore, we actually have some nice properties with multiplication that we didn't have before. In $\mathbb{C}^*$ it holds that
\[\tilde{\infty}\times \tilde{\infty}=\tilde{\infty}\]but $\tilde{\infty}-\tilde{\infty}$ and $0\times \tilde{\infty}$ are left as undefined (unless there is an explicit need to change that somehow). One could define the projectively extended reals as we did with $\mathbb{C}^*$, by defining them as
\[{\widehat {\mathbb {R} }}=\mathbb {R} \cup \{\infty \}.\]They behave in a similar way to the Riemann Sphere, with division by $0$ also being allowed with the same indeterminate forms (in addition to some other ones).
23 replies
Arr0w
Feb 11, 2022
scannose
Sep 19, 2022
k i Marathon Threads
LauraZed   0
Jul 2, 2019
Due to excessive spam and inappropriate posts, we have locked the Prealgebra and Beginning Algebra threads.

We will either unlock these threads once we've cleaned them up or start new ones, but for now, do not start new marathon threads for these subjects. Any new marathon threads started while this announcement is up will be immediately deleted.
0 replies
LauraZed
Jul 2, 2019
0 replies
k i Basic Forum Rules and Info (Read before posting)
jellymoop   368
N May 16, 2018 by harry1234
f (Reminder: Do not post Alcumus or class homework questions on this forum. Instructions below.) f
Welcome to the Middle School Math Forum! Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the rules.

Overview:
[list]
[*] When you're posting a new topic with a math problem, give the topic a detailed title that includes the subject of the problem (not just "easy problem" or "nice problem")
[*] Stay on topic and be courteous.
[*] Hide solutions!
[*] If you see an inappropriate post in this forum, simply report the post and a moderator will deal with it. Don't make your own post telling people they're not following the rules - that usually just makes the issue worse.
[*] When you post a question that you need help solving, post what you've attempted so far and not just the question. We are here to learn from each other, not to do your homework. :P
[*] Avoid making posts just to thank someone - you can use the upvote function instead
[*] Don't make a new reply just to repeat yourself or comment on the quality of others' posts; instead, post when you have a new insight or question. You can also edit your post if it's the most recent and you want to add more information.
[*] Avoid bumping old posts.
[*] Use GameBot to post alcumus questions.
[*] If you need general MATHCOUNTS/math competition advice, check out the threads below.
[*] Don't post other users' real names.
[*] Advertisements are not allowed. You can advertise your forum on your profile with a link, on your blog, and on user-created forums that permit forum advertisements.
[/list]

Here are links to more detailed versions of the rules. These are from the older forums, so you can overlook "Classroom math/Competition math only" instructions.
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What belongs on this forum?
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Mathcounts and how to learn

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Marathons!
Relays might be a better way to describe it, but these threads definitely go the distance! One person starts off by posting a problem, and the next person comes up with a solution and a new problem for another user to solve. Here's some of the frequently active marathons running in this forum:
[list][*]Algebra
[*]Prealgebra
[*]Proofs
[*]Factoring
[*]Geometry
[*]Counting & Probability
[*]Number Theory[/list]
Some of these haven't received attention in a while, but these are the main ones for their respective subjects. Rather than starting a new marathon, please give the existing ones a shot first.

You can also view marathons via the Marathon tag.

Think this list is incomplete or needs changes? Let the mods know and we'll take a look.
368 replies
jellymoop
May 8, 2015
harry1234
May 16, 2018
interesting geo config (2/3)
Royal_mhyasd   1
N 44 minutes ago by Royal_mhyasd
Source: own
Let $\triangle ABC$ be an acute triangle and $H$ its orthocenter. Let $P$ be a point on the parallel through $A$ to $BC$ such that $\angle APH = |\angle ABC-\angle ACB|$. Define $Q$ and $R$ as points on the parallels through $B$ to $AC$ and through $C$ to $AB$ similarly. If $P,Q,R$ are positioned around the sides of $\triangle ABC$ as in the given configuration, prove that $P,Q,R$ are collinear.
1 reply
Royal_mhyasd
an hour ago
Royal_mhyasd
44 minutes ago
interesting geo config (1\3)
Royal_mhyasd   0
an hour ago
Source: own
Let $\triangle ABC$ be an acute triangle with $AC > AB$, $H$ its orthocenter and $O$ it's circumcenter. Let $P$ be a point on the parallel through $A$ to $BC$ such that $\angle APH = \angle ABC - \angle ACB$ and $P$ and $C$ are on different sides of $AB$. Denote by $S$ the intersection of the circumcircle of $\triangle ABC$ and $PA'$, where $A'$ is the reflection of $H$ over $BC$, $M$ the midpoint of $PH$, $Q$ the intersection of $OA$ and the parallel through $M$ to $AS$, $R$ the intersection of $MS$ and the perpendicular through $O$ to $PS$ and $N$ a point on $AS$ such that $NT \parallel PS$, where $T$ is the midpoint of $HS$. Prove that $Q, N, R$ lie on a line.

fiy it's 2am and i'm bored so i decided to look further into this interesting config that i had already made some observations on, maybe this problem is trivial from some theorem so if that's the case then i'm sorry lol :P i'll probably post 2 more problems related to it soon, i'd say they're easier than this though
0 replies
Royal_mhyasd
an hour ago
0 replies
Parallel lines..
ts0_9   9
N an hour ago by OutKast
Source: Kazakhstan National Olympiad 2014 P3 D1 10 grade
The triangle $ABC$ is inscribed in a circle $w_1$. Inscribed in a triangle circle touchs the sides $BC$ in a point $N$. $w_2$ — the circle inscribed in a segment $BAC$ circle of $w_1$, and passing through a point $N$. Let points $O$ and $J$ — the centers of circles $w_2$ and an extra inscribed circle (touching side $BC$) respectively. Prove, that lines $AO$ and $JN$ are parallel.
9 replies
ts0_9
Mar 26, 2014
OutKast
an hour ago
KMN and PQR are tangent at a fixed point
hal9v4ik   4
N an hour ago by OutKast
Let $ABCD$ be cyclic quadrilateral. Let $AC$ and $BD$ intersect at $R$, and let $AB$ and $CD$ intersect at $K$. Let $M$ and $N$ are points on $AB$ and $CD$ such that $\frac{AM}{MB}=\frac{CN}{ND}$. Let $P$ and $Q$ be the intersections of $MN$ with the diagonals of $ABCD$. Prove that circumcircles of triangles $KMN$ and $PQR$ are tangent at a fixed point.
4 replies
hal9v4ik
Mar 19, 2013
OutKast
an hour ago
Worst Sillies of All Time
pingpongmerrily   51
N 2 hours ago by EthanNg6
Share the worst sillies you have ever made!

Mine was probably on the 2024 MathCounts State Target Round Problem 8, where I wrote my answer as a fraction instead of a percent, which cost me a trip to Nationals that year.
51 replies
pingpongmerrily
Friday at 12:34 PM
EthanNg6
2 hours ago
SOLVE: CDR style problem quick algebra
ryfighter   6
N 2 hours ago by EthanNg6
It takes 3 people 10 minutes to mow 2 lawns. How many minutes will it take for 2 people to mow 10 lawns? Express your answer in hours as a decimal.

$(A)$ $1.25$
$(B)$ $75$
$(C)$ $01.025$
$(D)$ $1.5$
$(E)$ $15.25$
6 replies
ryfighter
Yesterday at 3:19 AM
EthanNg6
2 hours ago
Fun challange problem :)
TigerSenju   32
N 2 hours ago by maxamc
Scenario:

Master Alchemist Aurelius is renowned for his mastery of elemental fusion. He works with seven fundamental, yet mysterious, elements: Ignis (Fire), Aqua (Water), Terra (Earth), Aer (Air), Lux (Light), Umbra (Shadow), and Aether (Spirit). Each element possesses a unique 'potency' value, a positive integer crucial for his most complex fusions

Aurelius has lost his master log of these potencies. All he has left are seven cryptic scrolls, each containing a precise relationship between the potencies of various elements. He needs these values to complete his Grand Device. Can you help him deduce the exact potency of each element?

The Elements and Their Potencies:

Let I represent the potency of Ignis (Fire).
Let A represent the potency of Aqua (Water).
Let T represent the potency of Terra (Earth).
Let R represent the potency of Aer (Air).
Let L represent the potency of Lux (Light).
Let U represent the potency of Umbra (Shadow).
Let E represent the potency of Aether (Spirit).
The Cryptic Scrolls (System of Equations):

Aurelius's scrolls reveal the following relationships:

The combined potency of Ignis, Aqua, and Terra is equal to the potency of Aer plus Lux, plus a constant of two.

If you sum the potencies of Aqua and Umbra, it precisely equals the sum of Lux and Aether, minus one.

The sum of Terra and Aer potencies is the same as the sum of Ignis, Aqua, and Aether potencies, minus one.

Three times the potency of Ignis, plus the potency of Aer, is equal to the sum of Aqua, Terra, and Aether potencies, plus five.

The difference between Lux and Ignis potencies is identical to the difference between Umbra and Aqua potencies.

The sum of Umbra and Aether potencies, when decreased by the potency of Terra, results in twice the potency of Aqua.

The potency of Ignis added to Lux, minus the potency of Aer, is equivalent to the potency of Aether minus Umbra, plus one.

The Grand Challenge:

Using only the information from the cryptic scrolls, set up and solve the system of seven linear equations to determine the unique positive integer potency value for each of the seven elements: I,A,T,R,L,U,E.

good luck, and whoever finds the potencies first, gets a title of The SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS MASTER

p.s. Yes, I did just come up with a whole story of words to make a ridiculously long problem, but hey, you're reading this, so you probably have nothing better to be doing. ;)
32 replies
TigerSenju
May 18, 2025
maxamc
2 hours ago
Warning!
VivaanKam   40
N 3 hours ago by ayeshaaq
This problem will try to trick you! :!:

40 replies
VivaanKam
May 5, 2025
ayeshaaq
3 hours ago
MathDash help
Spacepandamath13   8
N 5 hours ago by Yiyj
AkshajK ORZ by the way invited me to do MathDash a few months ago and I did try it one day but haven't done it much after (Sorry). Now, I'm getting back into it and finding the format kind of weird. When selecting certain problem type sometimes it lets me pick immediately, other times not. Any fixes?
8 replies
Spacepandamath13
May 29, 2025
Yiyj
5 hours ago
MIT PRIMES STEP
pingpongmerrily   5
N Yesterday at 4:56 PM by pingpongmerrily
Anyone else applying? How cooked am I for the placement test... (106.5 AMC 10, 5 AIME, 36/27 States/Nationals)
5 replies
pingpongmerrily
Friday at 9:01 PM
pingpongmerrily
Yesterday at 4:56 PM
Combi counting
Caasi_Gnow   4
N Yesterday at 3:49 PM by Rabbit47
Find the number of different ways to arrange seven people around a circular meeting table if A and B must sit together and C and D cannot sit next to each other. (Note: the order for A and B might be A,B or B,A)
4 replies
Caasi_Gnow
Mar 20, 2025
Rabbit47
Yesterday at 3:49 PM
Math with Connect4 Boards
Math-lover1   12
N Yesterday at 2:47 PM by Math-lover1
Hi! So I was playing Connect4 with my friends the other day and I wondered: how many "legal" arrangements of Connect4 can be reached at the ending position?

We assume that we do not stop the game when there is a four in a row, and we have 21 red pieces and 21 yellow pieces. We also drop the pieces one by one into a standard 7 by 6 board. We can start the game with any color piece.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connect_Four

Initial Thoughts
Attempt to use one-to-one correspondences
12 replies
Math-lover1
May 1, 2025
Math-lover1
Yesterday at 2:47 PM
The daily problem!
Leeoz   216
N Yesterday at 1:42 PM by kjhgyuio
Every day, I will try to post a new problem for you all to solve! If you want to post a daily problem, you can! :)

Please hide solutions and answers, hints are fine though! :)

Problems usually get harder throughout the week, so Sunday is the easiest and Saturday is the hardest!

Past Problems!
216 replies
Leeoz
Mar 21, 2025
kjhgyuio
Yesterday at 1:42 PM
Geometry question !
kjhgyuio   1
N Yesterday at 11:13 AM by whwlqkd
........
1 reply
kjhgyuio
Yesterday at 10:13 AM
whwlqkd
Yesterday at 11:13 AM
Letters in grid
buzzychaoz   6
N Apr 12, 2025 by de-Kirschbaum
Source: CGMO 2016 Q6
Find the greatest positive integer $m$, such that one of the $4$ letters $C,G,M,O$ can be placed in each cell of a table with $m$ rows and $8$ columns, and has the following property: For any two distinct rows in the table, there exists at most one column, such that the entries of these two rows in such a column are the same letter.
6 replies
buzzychaoz
Aug 14, 2016
de-Kirschbaum
Apr 12, 2025
Letters in grid
G H J
G H BBookmark kLocked kLocked NReply
Source: CGMO 2016 Q6
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buzzychaoz
178 posts
#1 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Find the greatest positive integer $m$, such that one of the $4$ letters $C,G,M,O$ can be placed in each cell of a table with $m$ rows and $8$ columns, and has the following property: For any two distinct rows in the table, there exists at most one column, such that the entries of these two rows in such a column are the same letter.
Z K Y
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InCtrl
871 posts
#2 • 3 Y
Y by laegolas, Adventure10, Mango247
Solution

edit: misread the problem
This post has been edited 3 times. Last edited by InCtrl, Mar 10, 2017, 11:50 PM
Z K Y
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Number1
355 posts
#4 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Say $c_i$, $g_i$, $m_i$ and $o_i$ are the numbers of $C,G,M$ and $O$ in $i-th$ column respectively.

Then for each $i\in \{1,2,...8\}$ we have: $ c_i+g_i+m_i+o_i = m$

The pair of rows $\{R_i, R_j\}$ connect with $k$, if the rows mach
in $k-th$ column. Then the degree $r_{i,j}$ of each pair is at
most 1 and the degree of $k$ is $d_k$:
$$ d_k = {c_k\choose 2} + {g_k\choose 2} + {m_k\choose 2} + {o_k\choose
2}\geq {{1\over 4} m^2-m\over 2}$$By double counting we have
$$ \sum _{\{i,j\}} r_{i,j} = \sum _{k=1}^8 d_k
\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;(*)$$and thus $${m\choose 2} \geq 8{{1\over 4}
m^2-m\over 2}\;\;\; \Longrightarrow \;\;\; m\leq 7$$
If $m=7$ then $d_k \geq 3{2\choose 2} +1{1\choose 2} =
    3$ and thus, by $(*)$ we have ${7\choose 2} \geq 8\cdot 3$ and we have a contradiction.

If $m=6$ then $d_k \geq 2{2\choose 2} +2{1\choose 2} =
    2$ and thus, by $(*)$ we have ${6\choose 2} \geq 8\cdot 2$ and we have a contradiction.

So $m\leq 5$ and a configuration for $m=5$ is not difficult to find.
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by Number1, Mar 11, 2017, 7:32 AM
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Number1
355 posts
#5 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
Another prove that $m$ is less then $6$. Suppose we have $6$ rows.
Then in each column we have at least two pairs of cells with the same letter.
Thus we have at least $16$ pairs in $8$ columns. But in a set $\{1,2,3,4,5,6\}$ we have at most $15$ pairs.
Thus by a pigeonhole principle at least one pair repeats and then we have two rows which match in two columns.
So we have a contradiction and thus $m\leq 5$.
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by Number1, Mar 11, 2017, 8:02 AM
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InCtrl
871 posts
#6 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
@above it appears that i have misread the problem to mean that there are no mono-coloured rectangles.

instead it should rather be "2-colour" rectangles, in which case your solution is correct and mine is wrong.
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primesarespecial
364 posts
#7
Y by
Cute.
Connect two cells in a column by an arrow if they contain the same letter.
We claim that the greatest number of rows is $5$.
If $m=6$,then we see that that every column contains at least $2$ arrows.
Thus the no. of arrows is at least $16$.
Whereas by the condition ,it is atmost $\binom {6}{2} =15$, a contradiction.
For $m=5$,the construction is easy to get.
An example $(CGMOC),(GOCOM),(COMGG),(MMOCG),(OGCMC),(OCMCG),(MGCMO),(MGOOC)$,
where () is a column.
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by primesarespecial, Oct 19, 2021, 11:26 AM
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de-Kirschbaum
203 posts
#8
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We claim that $m=5$.

Let $T$ denote the number of unordered pairs of squares of the same letter in the same column. Then we know from condition that $$\binom{m}{2} \geq T$$
Let $x_i,y_i,w_i,z_i$ be the number of squares containing $C, G, M, O$ in column $i$ respectively. Note that $x_i+y_i+w_i+z_i=m$. We have $$T = \sum_{i=1}^8 \binom{x_i}{2}+\binom{y_i}{2}+\binom{w_i}{2}+\binom{z_i}{2} \geq 8(4) \binom{\frac{m}{4}}{2}=8\frac{m(\frac{m}{4}-1)}{2}=m(m-4)$$
Thus $$\frac{m(m-1)}{2} \geq m(m-4) \implies m^2-m \geq 2m^2-8m \implies m^2 \leq 7m \implies m \leq 7$$
Note that if $m=7$, at least three pairs of rows must have the same letter in every column, so $3(8) =24 \geq \binom{7}{2}=21$ implies that there exists a pair that collides at more than one column by pigeonhole. Similarly, if $m=6$ at least two pairs of rows must collide in every column, so $2(8) =16 > \binom{6}{2}=15$ means it is impossible by pigeonhole as well. This condition is not broken at $m=5$ and it is achievable with this construction
$$\begin{matrix} C&M & M &G & C & C & C &G \\ C & C &O& M&G&G&G&C\\G&C&C&O&C&M&M&M\\M&G&C&C&M&C&O&C\\O&O&G&C&O&O&C&O\end{matrix}$$
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by de-Kirschbaum, Apr 12, 2025, 3:07 AM
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