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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)!

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[*]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 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
Problem 2 (First Day)
Valentin Vornicu   83
N 16 minutes ago by Adywastaken
Find all polynomials $f$ with real coefficients such that for all reals $a,b,c$ such that $ab+bc+ca = 0$ we have the following relations

\[ f(a-b) + f(b-c) + f(c-a) = 2f(a+b+c). \]
83 replies
Valentin Vornicu
Jul 12, 2004
Adywastaken
16 minutes ago
Geometry from EGMO 2018
BarishNamazov   35
N 36 minutes ago by math-olympiad-clown
Source: EGMO 2018 P1
Let $ABC$ be a triangle with $CA=CB$ and $\angle{ACB}=120^\circ$, and let $M$ be the midpoint of $AB$. Let $P$ be a variable point of the circumcircle of $ABC$, and let $Q$ be the point on the segment $CP$ such that $QP = 2QC$. It is given that the line through $P$ and perpendicular to $AB$ intersects the line $MQ$ at a unique point $N$.
Prove that there exists a fixed circle such that $N$ lies on this circle for all possible positions of $P$.
35 replies
BarishNamazov
Apr 11, 2018
math-olympiad-clown
36 minutes ago
CMI Entrance 19#6
bubu_2001   6
N an hour ago by Mathworld314
$(a)$ Compute -
\begin{align*}
\frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d}x} \bigg[ \int_{0}^{e^x} \log ( t ) \cos^4 ( t ) \mathrm{d}t \bigg]
\end{align*}$(b)$ For $x > 0 $ define $F ( x ) = \int_{1}^{x} t \log ( t ) \mathrm{d}t . $

$1.$ Determine the open interval(s) (if any) where $F ( x )$ is decreasing and all the open interval(s) (if any) where $F ( x )$ is increasing.

$2.$ Determine all the local minima of $F ( x )$ (if any) and all the local maxima of $F ( x )$ (if any) $.$
6 replies
bubu_2001
Nov 1, 2019
Mathworld314
an hour ago
CMI Entrance 19#4
bubu_2001   13
N an hour ago by Mathworld314
Let $ABCD$ be a parallelogram $.$ Let $O$ be a point in its interior such that $\angle AOB + \angle DOC = 180^{\circ} . $
Show that $,\angle ODC = \angle OBC . $
13 replies
1 viewing
bubu_2001
Oct 31, 2019
Mathworld314
an hour ago
Reducibility of 2x^2 cyclotomic
vincentwant   3
N 2 hours ago by YaoAOPS
Let $S$ denote the set of all positive integers less than $1020$ that are relatively prime to $1020$. Let $\omega=\cos\frac{\pi}{510}+i\sin\frac{\pi}{510}$. Is the polynomial $$\prod_{n\in S}(2x^2-\omega^n)$$reducible over the rational numbers, given that it has integer coefficients?
3 replies
vincentwant
Apr 30, 2025
YaoAOPS
2 hours ago
inequalities
Tamako22   2
N 2 hours ago by Tamako22
let $a,b,c> 1,\dfrac{1}{1+a}+\dfrac{1}{1+b}+\dfrac{1}{1+c}=2.$
prove that$$\sqrt{a}+\sqrt{b}+\sqrt{c}\ge \dfrac{2}{\sqrt{a}}+\dfrac{2}{\sqrt{b}}+\dfrac{2}{\sqrt{c}}$$
2 replies
Tamako22
Yesterday at 12:18 PM
Tamako22
2 hours ago
Functional Equation
Keith50   2
N 2 hours ago by jasperE3
Source: Own
Find all functions $f:\mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$ such that \[f(x+f(x)+2f(y))+f(2f(x)-y)=4x+f(y)\]holds for all reals $x$ and $y$.
2 replies
Keith50
Jun 24, 2021
jasperE3
2 hours ago
3-var inequality
sqing   2
N 2 hours ago by sqing
Source: Own
Let $ a,b,c\geq 0 ,a+b+c =4. $ Prove that
$$a +ab^2 +ab^2c \leq\frac{33}{4}+2\sqrt 2$$$$a +ab^2 +abc \leq \frac{2(100+13\sqrt {13})}{27}$$$$a +a^2b + a b^2c^3\leq \frac{2(82+19\sqrt {19})}{27}$$
2 replies
sqing
Yesterday at 3:56 AM
sqing
2 hours ago
Popular children at camp with algebra and geometry
Assassino9931   2
N 3 hours ago by cj13609517288
Source: RMM Shortlist 2024 C3
Fix an odd integer $n\geq 3$. At a maths camp, there are $n^2$ children, each of whom selects
either algebra or geometry as their favourite topic. At lunch, they sit at $n$ tables, with $n$ children
on each table, and start talking about mathematics. A child is said to be popular if their favourite
topic has a majority at their table. For dinner, the students again sit at $n$ tables, with $n$ children
on each table, such that no two children share a table at both lunch and dinner. Determine the
minimal number of young mathematicians who are popular at both mealtimes. (The minimum is across all sets of topic preferences and seating arrangements.)
2 replies
Assassino9931
Friday at 11:07 PM
cj13609517288
3 hours ago
Interesting inequalities
sqing   1
N 3 hours ago by sqing
Source: Own
Let $ a,b> 0 $ and $  a^2+ab+b^2=a+b   $. Prove that
$$   \frac{a }{2b^2+1}+ \frac{b }{2a^2+1}+ \frac{1}{2ab+1} \geq \frac{21}{17}$$Let $ a,b> 0 $ and $ a^2+ab+b^2=a+b+1   $. Prove that
$$   \frac{a }{2b^2+1}+ \frac{b }{2a^2+1}+ \frac{1}{2ab+1} \geq1$$
1 reply
sqing
4 hours ago
sqing
3 hours ago
Interesting inequalities
sqing   0
3 hours ago
Source: Own
Let $ a,b> 0 $ and $  a^2+ab+b^2=k(a+b)   $. Prove that
$$   \frac{a }{2b^2+1}+ \frac{b }{2a^2+1}+ \frac{1}{2ab+1} \geq \frac{12k+9}{8k^2+9}$$Where $ k\in N^+.$
Let $ a,b> 0 $ and $  a^2+ab+b^2=3(a+b)   $. Prove that
$$   \frac{a }{2b^2+1}+ \frac{b }{2a^2+1}+ \frac{1}{2ab+1} \geq \frac{5}{9}$$
0 replies
sqing
3 hours ago
0 replies
Queue geo
vincentwant   6
N 3 hours ago by ihategeo_1969
Let $ABC$ be an acute scalene triangle with circumcenter $O$. Let $Y, Z$ be the feet of the altitudes from $B, C$ to $AC, AB$ respectively. Let $D$ be the midpoint of $BC$. Let $\omega_1$ be the circle with diameter $AD$. Let $Q\neq A$ be the intersection of $(ABC)$ and $\omega$. Let $H$ be the orthocenter of $ABC$. Let $K$ be the intersection of $AQ$ and $BC$. Let $l_1,l_2$ be the lines through $Q$ tangent to $\omega,(AYZ)$ respectively. Let $I$ be the intersection of $l_1$ and $KH$. Let $P$ be the intersection of $l_2$ and $YZ$. Let $l$ be the line through $I$ parallel to $HD$ and let $O'$ be the reflection of $O$ across $l$. Prove that $O'P$ is tangent to $(KPQ)$.
6 replies
vincentwant
Apr 30, 2025
ihategeo_1969
3 hours ago
Problem 6
SlovEcience   3
N 3 hours ago by Tung-CHL
Given two points A and B on the unit circle. The tangents to the circle at A and B intersect at point P. Then:
\[ p = \frac{2ab}{a + b} \], \[ p, a, b \in \mathbb{C} \]
3 replies
SlovEcience
Yesterday at 9:44 AM
Tung-CHL
3 hours ago
Inspired by lgx57
sqing   1
N 4 hours ago by InvisibleFrog72
Source: Own
Let $ a,b>0. $ Prove that$$\dfrac{a^2}{ab+1}+\dfrac{b^3+2}{ab+b^2}\geq 2\sqrt{2}-1$$G

1 reply
sqing
4 hours ago
InvisibleFrog72
4 hours ago
Tiling rectangle with smaller rectangles.
MarkBcc168   61
N Apr 23, 2025 by YaoAOPS
Source: IMO Shortlist 2017 C1
A rectangle $\mathcal{R}$ with odd integer side lengths is divided into small rectangles with integer side lengths. Prove that there is at least one among the small rectangles whose distances from the four sides of $\mathcal{R}$ are either all odd or all even.

Proposed by Jeck Lim, Singapore
61 replies
MarkBcc168
Jul 10, 2018
YaoAOPS
Apr 23, 2025
Tiling rectangle with smaller rectangles.
G H J
G H BBookmark kLocked kLocked NReply
Source: IMO Shortlist 2017 C1
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MarkBcc168
1595 posts
#1 • 13 Y
Y by Amir Hossein, Davi-8191, rustam, Kayak, Tenee, Purple_Planet, centslordm, jhu08, megarnie, Adventure10, Mango247, lian_the_noob12, Sedro
A rectangle $\mathcal{R}$ with odd integer side lengths is divided into small rectangles with integer side lengths. Prove that there is at least one among the small rectangles whose distances from the four sides of $\mathcal{R}$ are either all odd or all even.

Proposed by Jeck Lim, Singapore
This post has been edited 2 times. Last edited by MarkBcc168, Jul 15, 2018, 12:57 PM
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MarkBcc168
1595 posts
#2 • 31 Y
Y by Amir Hossein, Wizard_32, ring_r, hocashi, vsathiam, vivoloh, jj_ca888, Pluto1708, Tenee, rashah76, Purple_Planet, Lord_Eldo_Santos, like123, Wizard0001, centslordm, mijail, jhu08, megarnie, Muaaz.SY, PRMOisTheHardestExam, hakN, sabkx, Mathlover_1, two_steps, Adventure10, Mango247, ihatemath123, Newmaths, kiyoras_2001, Sedro, Funcshun840
Solution
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RMO-prep
82 posts
#3 • 5 Y
Y by centslordm, jhu08, sabkx, Adventure10, Mango247
It was also India TST
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juckter
323 posts
#4 • 4 Y
Y by centslordm, jhu08, Adventure10, Mango247
Let $\mathcal{R}$'s dimensions be $m$ and $n$, with $m$ and $n$ odd. Label the square $(x,y)$ with $A$ if $x \equiv y \equiv 1 \bmod{2}$, $B$ if $x \equiv y \equiv 0 \bmod{2}$, and $C$ if $x \not \equiv y \bmod{2}$. Then a rectangle satisfies the problem's condition iff all of its corners are labeled with $A$ or all of them are labeled with $B$. Notice that because $m$ and $n$ are odd, there exists one less square labeled $C$ than the total number of squares labeled $A$ of $B$, and thus there must exist at least one small rectangle in which more squares are labeled $A$ or $B$. But this is easily seen to imply that all four corners of the rectangle are labeled $A$ or $B$.
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orthocentre
72 posts
#6 • 4 Y
Y by centslordm, jhu08, Adventure10, Mango247
Edit: made a really dumb mistake.
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by orthocentre, Apr 7, 2019, 9:49 PM
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joyce_tan
94 posts
#7 • 4 Y
Y by centslordm, jhu08, sabkx, Adventure10
jdevine wrote:
There's a much easier way to do this than with colouring arguments.

Click to reveal hidden text
There's a reason why everyone else is using coloring arguments - your solution proves a weaker statement than the problem. You've proven that a rectangle with both odd dimensions exists, and an odd dimension ensures that the opposite distances have equal parity, but you haven't shown that the parity of the distances in the two different axes are equal, i.e. you could have a rectangle that is an odd distance from the top and the bottom, but an even distance from the left and the right.
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mofumofu
179 posts
#8 • 15 Y
Y by Ankoganit, 62861, DVDthe1st, Kayak, oneplusone, rkm0959, AnArtist, AlastorMoody, skt, rashah76, centslordm, jhu08, megarnie, sabkx, Adventure10
This problem was proposed by oneplusone. :)
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test20
988 posts
#9 • 4 Y
Y by joyce_tan, centslordm, jhu08, Adventure10
jdevine wrote:
There's a much easier way to do this than with colouring arguments.

Consider the length of $\mathcal{R}$. Since it's odd, we let it be $2n+1$. Consider a smaller rectangle $\mathcal{S}$. Let the distance from the left side of $\mathcal{S}$ to the left side of $\mathcal{R}$ be $a$, and let the distance from the right side of $\mathcal{S}$ to the right side of $\mathcal{R}$ be $b$. Iff $a$ and $b$ are the same parity, then $a+b$ is even and so $2n+1-a-b$ is odd. Repeat in the other direction (up and down instead of left and right).

This means that we want to prove that there exists a rectangle whose sides are of odd length. Suppose, for sake of contradiction, that there isn't one. Then all the small rectangles have even area, but the large rectangle has an odd area. Contradiction.

I'm not sure why they put that on the IMO shortlist... it would have been much more suitable in something like this and would have been a really good problem to put in, probably near the end of the paper.

Naah, that doesn't quite work.

You have only established the existence of a rectangle $S$ whose sides are of odd length.
But $S$ might have odd distances to the northern and southern side of $\cal R$,
and even distances to the eastern and western side of $\cal R$.
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anantmudgal09
1980 posts
#10 • 4 Y
Y by Saikat002, centslordm, jhu08, Adventure10
By induction on chessboard polygons, it is easy to show that each rectangle in such a tiling can be indexed with vertices as lattice points.

Now for each rectangle of area $A$ apply the following operation. For $A \equiv 0 \pmod{2}$ tile it with dominoes and for $A \equiv 1\pmod{2}$ mark the leftmost corner and tile the remaining rectangle with dominoes. Observe that each tiling $\mathcal{T}$ maps to a tiling $\mathcal{T}’$ consisting only of dominoes and boxes such that $\mathcal{T}$ has a desired rectangle iff $\mathcal{T}’$ does.

Apply chessboard colouring with upper left corner coloured red. For $\mathcal{T}’$ notice that any box placed at red square is desired. If not then all such red squares are covered in dominoes. Since no domino contains two monochrome squares and we have more red squares, we get the desired contradiction.
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orthocentre
72 posts
#11 • 4 Y
Y by centslordm, jhu08, Adventure10, Mango247
test20 wrote:
jdevine wrote:
There's a much easier way to do this than with colouring arguments.

Consider the length of $\mathcal{R}$. Since it's odd, we let it be $2n+1$. Consider a smaller rectangle $\mathcal{S}$. Let the distance from the left side of $\mathcal{S}$ to the left side of $\mathcal{R}$ be $a$, and let the distance from the right side of $\mathcal{S}$ to the right side of $\mathcal{R}$ be $b$. Iff $a$ and $b$ are the same parity, then $a+b$ is even and so $2n+1-a-b$ is odd. Repeat in the other direction (up and down instead of left and right).

This means that we want to prove that there exists a rectangle whose sides are of odd length. Suppose, for sake of contradiction, that there isn't one. Then all the small rectangles have even area, but the large rectangle has an odd area. Contradiction.

I'm not sure why they put that on the IMO shortlist... it would have been much more suitable in something like this and would have been a really good problem to put in, probably near the end of the paper.

Naah, that doesn't quite work.

You have only established the existence of a rectangle $S$ whose sides are of odd length.
But $S$ might have odd distances to the northern and southern side of $\cal R$,
and even distances to the eastern and western side of $\cal R$.

Oh... I thought it was way too easy for IMO shortlist... :D
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Math.Is.Beautiful
850 posts
#12 • 4 Y
Y by centslordm, jhu08, Adventure10, Mango247
MarkBcc168 wrote:
A rectangle $\mathcal{R}$ with odd integer side lengths is divided into small rectangles with integer side lengths. Prove that there is at least one among the small rectangles whose distances from the four sides of $\mathcal{R}$ are either all odd or all even.

Don't know, but I feel like I have seen this problem long ago.


EDIT: No, it wasn't this one, it was the following theorem:
Theorem: If a rectangle can tiled with rectangles, each of which have at least one side of integeral length, then the rectangle which was tiled also has at least one side of integeral length.
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by Math.Is.Beautiful, Jul 15, 2018, 8:26 AM
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oneplusone
1459 posts
#14 • 27 Y
Y by 62861, CZRorz, DVDthe1st, Kayak, mofumofu, anantmudgal09, Wizard_32, Salman.elourdi, ring_r, AnArtist, Idea_lover, djmathman, rashah76, OlympusHero, Eliot, centslordm, jhu08, PRMOisTheHardestExam, sabkx, ihatemath123, Adventure10, Mango247, RTB, EpicBird08, Sedro, OronSH, Rijul saini
I discovered this problem when I was trying to solve the problem "there exists only finitely many ways to divide a rectangle into smaller rectangles of equal area". A subproblem is that there is no smooth deformation of the smaller rectangles that preserves all their area (turns out there is a completely different elegant proof for this). A slightly stronger statement is that if we perturb each edge slightly up/down or left/right, there is a rectangle that strictly contains its original form, or is strictly contained in its original form. This is equivalent to this C1. I was hoping to find some kind of "Brouwer fixed-pt" solution, but couldn't find one.

My original solution is to colour the rectangle black/white in a checkerboard manner, with the 4 corners black, then it suffices to find a smaller rectangle with 4 black corners. We count the number of black and white corners among all the rectangles. For each corner vertex that is not the corner of $\mathcal{R}$, there are an equal number of black and white rectangle corners at that vertex. So there are more black corners than white, hence there is a smaller rectangle with at least 3 black corners. But a rectangle with 3 black corners necessarily has the 4th corner black.
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yayups
1614 posts
#16 • 4 Y
Y by centslordm, jhu08, Adventure10, Mango247
ugh this took way too long, but I suck at combo anyways....

Call $(i,j)$ white if $2\mid i-j$, and call it black otherwise. We wish to show the existence of a rectangle with all white corners. However, a rectangle has all white corners if and only if it has more white squares than black squares. But since $\mathcal{R}$ has more whites than blacks, by PHP we are done.

Remark: In my "defense", for most of the time I was trying to show that the number of all white cornered squares was odd (this is the usual strategy), but experimentation very quickly reveals this to be FALSE. Therefore, everything I was trying beforehand was bound to fail. But I was too lazy to actually experiment till the very end.
Lesson: experiment

One more remark:
oneplusone wrote:
My original solution is to colour the rectangle black/white in a checkerboard manner, with the 4 corners black, then it suffices to find a smaller rectangle with 4 black corners. We count the number of black and white corners among all the rectangles. For each corner vertex that is not the corner of $\mathcal{R}$, there are an equal number of black and white rectangle corners at that vertex. So there are more black corners than white, hence there is a smaller rectangle with at least 3 black corners. But a rectangle with 3 black corners necessarily has the 4th corner black.
I think this solution needs slight rewording since $1\times x$ squares have at most 2 corners.
This post has been edited 2 times. Last edited by yayups, Aug 21, 2018, 7:44 AM
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DynamoBlaze
170 posts
#17 • 3 Y
Y by centslordm, jhu08, Adventure10
I need some clarification. Are the rectangles in a grid? I mean, does the large rectangle have rows and columns which intersect to make the smaller rectangles, or are the small rectangles independent? In other words, if there is a rectangle $PQRS$, will $QR$ be the side of one other small rectangle as well?
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Durjoy1729
221 posts
#18 • 8 Y
Y by Digonta1729, potentialenergy, DonaldJ.Trump, ike.chen, centslordm, jhu08, lian_the_noob12, Adventure10
Official solution
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