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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:
[list][*]May 9th, 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET, Casework 2: Overwhelming Evidence — A Text Adventure, a game where participants will work together to navigate the map, solve puzzles, and win! All are welcome.
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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 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
JBMO Shortlist 2023 A4
Orestis_Lignos   6
N 10 minutes ago by MR.1
Source: JBMO Shortlist 2023, A4
Let $a,b,c,d$ be positive real numbers with $abcd=1$. Prove that

$$\sqrt{\frac{a}{b+c+d^2+a^3}}+\sqrt{\frac{b}{c+d+a^2+b^3}}+\sqrt{\frac{c}{d+a+b^2+c^3}}+\sqrt{\frac{d}{a+b+c^2+d^3}} \leq 2$$
6 replies
Orestis_Lignos
Jun 28, 2024
MR.1
10 minutes ago
60 posts!(and a question )
kjhgyuio   1
N 17 minutes ago by Pal702004
Finally 60 posts :D
1 reply
kjhgyuio
an hour ago
Pal702004
17 minutes ago
|a^2-b^2-2abc|<2c implies abc EVEN!
tom-nowy   1
N 36 minutes ago by Tkn
Source: Own
Prove that if integers $a, b$ and $c$ satisfy $\left| a^2-b^2-2abc \right| <2c $, then $abc$ is an even number.
1 reply
tom-nowy
May 3, 2025
Tkn
36 minutes ago
Tricky inequality
Orestis_Lignos   28
N an hour ago by MR.1
Source: JBMO 2023 Problem 2
Prove that for all non-negative real numbers $x,y,z$, not all equal to $0$, the following inequality holds

$\displaystyle \dfrac{2x^2-x+y+z}{x+y^2+z^2}+\dfrac{2y^2+x-y+z}{x^2+y+z^2}+\dfrac{2z^2+x+y-z}{x^2+y^2+z}\geq 3.$

Determine all the triples $(x,y,z)$ for which the equality holds.

Milan Mitreski, Serbia
28 replies
1 viewing
Orestis_Lignos
Jun 26, 2023
MR.1
an hour ago
JBMO Shortlist 2023 A1
Orestis_Lignos   5
N an hour ago by MR.1
Source: JBMO Shortlist 2023, A1
Prove that for all positive real numbers $a,b,c,d$,

$$\frac{2}{(a+b)(c+d)+(b+c)(a+d)} \leq \frac{1}{(a+c)(b+d)+4ac}+\frac{1}{(a+c)(b+d)+4bd}$$
and determine when equality occurs.
5 replies
Orestis_Lignos
Jun 28, 2024
MR.1
an hour ago
square root problem
kjhgyuio   6
N an hour ago by kjhgyuio
........
6 replies
kjhgyuio
May 3, 2025
kjhgyuio
an hour ago
find angle
TBazar   5
N an hour ago by TBazar
Given $ABC$ triangle with $AC>BC$. We take $M$, $N$ point on AC, AB respectively such that $AM=BC$, $CM=BN$. $BM$, $AN$ lines intersect at point $K$. If $2\angle AKM=\angle ACB$, find $\angle ACB$
5 replies
TBazar
Yesterday at 6:57 AM
TBazar
an hour ago
2 var inquality
Iveela   19
N 2 hours ago by sqing
Source: Izho 2025 P1
Let $a, b$ be positive reals such that $a^3 + b^3 = ab + 1$. Prove that \[(a-b)^2 + a + b \geq 2\]
19 replies
Iveela
Jan 14, 2025
sqing
2 hours ago
Set of perfect powers is irreducible
Assassino9931   0
2 hours ago
Source: Al-Khwarizmi International Junior Olympiad 2025 P4
For two sets of integers $X$ and $Y$ we define $X\cdot Y$ as the set of all products of an element of $X$ and an element of $Y$. For example, if $X=\{1, 2, 4\}$ and $Y=\{3, 4, 6\}$ then $X\cdot Y=\{3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24\}.$ We call a set $S$ of positive integers good if there do not exist sets $A,B$ of positive integers, each with at least two elements and such that the sets $A\cdot B$ and $S$ are the same. Prove that the set of perfect powers greater than or equal to $2025$ is good.

(In any of the sets $A$, $B$, $A\cdot B$ no two elements are equal, but any two or three of these sets may have common elements. A perfect power is an integer of the form $n^k$, where $n>1$ and $k > 1$ are integers.)

Lajos Hajdu and Andras Sarkozy, Hungary
0 replies
Assassino9931
2 hours ago
0 replies
Al-Khwarizmi birth year in a combi process
Assassino9931   0
2 hours ago
Source: Al-Khwarizmi International Junior Olympiad 2025 P3
On a circle are arranged $100$ baskets, each containing at least one candy. The total number of candies is $780$. Asad and Sevinch make moves alternatingly, with Asad going first. On one move, Asad can take all the candies from $9$ consecutive non-empty baskets, while Sevinch can take all the candies from a single non-empty basket that has at least one empty neighboring basket. Prove that Asad can take overall at least $700$ candies, regardless of the initial distribution of candies and Sevinch's actions.

Shubin Yakov, Russia
0 replies
Assassino9931
2 hours ago
0 replies
Grouping angles in a pentagon with bisectors
Assassino9931   0
2 hours ago
Source: Al-Khwarizmi International Junior Olympiad 2025 P2
Let $ABCD$ be a convex quadrilateral with \[\angle ADC = 90^\circ, \ \ \angle BCD = \angle ABC > 90^\circ, \mbox{ and } AB = 2CD.\]The line through \(C\), parallel to \(AD\), intersects the external angle bisector of \(\angle ABC\) at point \(T\). Prove that the angles $\angle ATB$, $\angle TBC$, $\angle BCD$, $\angle CDA$, $\angle DAT$ can be divided into two groups, so that the angles in each group have a sum of $270^{\circ}$.

Miroslav Marinov, Bulgaria
0 replies
Assassino9931
2 hours ago
0 replies
Nice Functional Equations (ISI 2021)
integrated_JRC   11
N 2 hours ago by lakshya2009
Source: ISI 2021 P2
Let $f : \mathbb{Z} \to \mathbb{Z}$ be a function satisfying $f(0) \neq 0 = f(1)$. Assume also that $f$ satisfies equations (A) and (B) below. \begin{eqnarray*}f(xy) = f(x) + f(y) -f(x) f(y)\qquad\mathbf{(A)}\\
f(x-y) f(x) f(y) = f(0) f(x) f(y)\qquad\mathbf{(B)}
\end{eqnarray*}for all integers $x,y$.

(i) Determine explicitly the set $\big\{f(a)~:~a\in\mathbb{Z}\big\}$.
(ii) Assuming that there is a non-zero integer $a$ such that $f(a) \neq 0$, prove that the set $\big\{b~:~f(b) \neq 0\big\}$ is infinite.
11 replies
integrated_JRC
Jul 18, 2021
lakshya2009
2 hours ago
Anything real in this system must be integer
Assassino9931   0
2 hours ago
Source: Al-Khwarizmi International Junior Olympiad 2025 P1
Determine the largest integer $c$ for which the following statement holds: there exists at least one triple $(x,y,z)$ of integers such that
\begin{align*} x^2 + 4(y + z) = y^2 + 4(z + x) = z^2 + 4(x + y) = c \end{align*}and all triples $(x,y,z)$ of real numbers, satisfying the equations, are such that $x,y,z$ are integers.

Marek Maruin, Slovakia
0 replies
Assassino9931
2 hours ago
0 replies
Tangent circles
Sadigly   1
N 2 hours ago by lbh_qys
Source: Azerbaijan Junior MO 2025 P6
Let $T$ be a point outside circle $\omega$ centered at $O$. Tangents from $T$ to $\omega$ touch $\omega$ at $A;B$. Line $TO$ intersects bigger $AB$ arc at $C$.The line drawn from $T$ parallel to $AC$ intersects $CB$ at $E$. Ray $TE$ intersects small $BC$ arc at $F$. Prove that the circumcircle of $OEF$ is tangent to $\omega$.
1 reply
Sadigly
3 hours ago
lbh_qys
2 hours ago
Polynomial x-axis angle
egxa   1
N Apr 18, 2025 by Fishheadtailbody
Source: All Russian 2025 9.5
Let \( P_1(x) \) and \( P_2(x) \) be monic quadratic trinomials, and let \( A_1 \) and \( A_2 \) be the vertices of the parabolas \( y = P_1(x) \) and \( y = P_2(x) \), respectively. Let \( m(g(x)) \) denote the minimum value of the function \( g(x) \). It is known that the differences \( m(P_1(P_2(x))) - m(P_1(x)) \) and \( m(P_2(P_1(x))) - m(P_2(x)) \) are equal positive numbers. Find the angle between the line \( A_1A_2 \) and the $x$-axis.
1 reply
egxa
Apr 18, 2025
Fishheadtailbody
Apr 18, 2025
Polynomial x-axis angle
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G H BBookmark kLocked kLocked NReply
Source: All Russian 2025 9.5
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egxa
210 posts
#1
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Let \( P_1(x) \) and \( P_2(x) \) be monic quadratic trinomials, and let \( A_1 \) and \( A_2 \) be the vertices of the parabolas \( y = P_1(x) \) and \( y = P_2(x) \), respectively. Let \( m(g(x)) \) denote the minimum value of the function \( g(x) \). It is known that the differences \( m(P_1(P_2(x))) - m(P_1(x)) \) and \( m(P_2(P_1(x))) - m(P_2(x)) \) are equal positive numbers. Find the angle between the line \( A_1A_2 \) and the $x$-axis.
This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by egxa, Apr 18, 2025, 5:25 PM
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Fishheadtailbody
7 posts
#2
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I really hope I have LaTeX for this.

We know the range of P_1 and P_2 are [mP_1, +\infty) and [mP_2, +\infty).
Let's say we achieve the minimal when x = A for P_1 and x = B for P_2.

If A \geq mP2, then mP_1P_2 = mP_1 which will cause contradiction.
So A < mP2, which means we achieve the minimal for P_1P_2 when x = mP2 (by looking the convex parabola).
Likewise for P_2P_1.

Therefore the condition becomes
P_1(mP_2) - mP_1 = P_2(mP_1) - mP_2.

Well I am not sure is there a faster way, but let's say the points A_1 and A_2 are (A, B) and (C, D).
Then, the condition becomes
P_1(D) - P_1(A) = P_2(B) - P_2(C).
Just expand and you will get
D^2 - A^2 + (-2A) (D-A) = B^2 - C^2 + (-2C) (B-C)
which turns into
D - A = B - C
Hence the slope of A_1A_2 will be 1, so it is 45 degree.
This post has been edited 2 times. Last edited by Fishheadtailbody, Apr 18, 2025, 5:35 PM
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