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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.

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April 9th (Webinar), 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Learn about Video-based Summer Camps at the Virtual Campus
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[*]April 22nd (Webinar), 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Competitive Programming at AoPS (USACO).[/list]
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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
China 2017 TSTST1 Day 2 Geometry Problem
HuangZhen   46
N 2 minutes ago by ihategeo_1969
Source: China 2017 TSTST1 Day 2 Problem 5
In the non-isosceles triangle $ABC$,$D$ is the midpoint of side $BC$,$E$ is the midpoint of side $CA$,$F$ is the midpoint of side $AB$.The line(different from line $BC$) that is tangent to the inscribed circle of triangle $ABC$ and passing through point $D$ intersect line $EF$ at $X$.Define $Y,Z$ similarly.Prove that $X,Y,Z$ are collinear.
46 replies
HuangZhen
Mar 7, 2017
ihategeo_1969
2 minutes ago
Cool combinatorial problem (grid)
Anto0110   1
N 19 minutes ago by Anto0110
Suppose you have an $m \cdot n$ grid with $m$ rows and $n$ columns, and each square of the grid is filled with a non-negative integer. Let $a$ be the average of all the numbers in the grid. Prove that if $m >(10a+10)^n$ the there exist two identical rows (meaning same numbers in the same order).
1 reply
Anto0110
Yesterday at 1:57 PM
Anto0110
19 minutes ago
one nice!
teomihai   2
N 35 minutes ago by teomihai
3 girls and 4 boys must be seated at a round table. In how many distinct ways can they be seated so that the 3 girls do not sit next to each other and there can be a maximum of 2 girls next to each other. (The table is round so the seats are not numbered.)
2 replies
teomihai
Yesterday at 7:32 PM
teomihai
35 minutes ago
Find the constant
JK1603JK   0
39 minutes ago
Source: unknown
Find all $k$ such that $$\left(a^{3}+b^{3}+c^{3}-3abc\right)^{2}-\left[a^{3}+b^{3}+c^{3}+3abc-ab(a+b)-bc(b+c)-ca(c+a)\right]^{2}\ge 2k\cdot(a-b)^{2}(b-c)^{2}(c-a)^{2}$$forall $a,b,c\ge 0.$
0 replies
JK1603JK
39 minutes ago
0 replies
IMO ShortList 1999, number theory problem 1
orl   61
N an hour ago by cursed_tangent1434
Source: IMO ShortList 1999, number theory problem 1
Find all the pairs of positive integers $(x,p)$ such that p is a prime, $x \leq 2p$ and $x^{p-1}$ is a divisor of $ (p-1)^{x}+1$.
61 replies
orl
Nov 13, 2004
cursed_tangent1434
an hour ago
(2^n + 1)/n^2 is an integer (IMO 1990 Problem 3)
orl   105
N an hour ago by cursed_tangent1434
Source: IMO 1990, Day 1, Problem 3, IMO ShortList 1990, Problem 23 (ROM 5)
Determine all integers $ n > 1$ such that
\[ \frac {2^n + 1}{n^2}
\]is an integer.
105 replies
orl
Nov 11, 2005
cursed_tangent1434
an hour ago
Maximum angle ratio
miiirz30   2
N 2 hours ago by zuzuzu222
Source: 2025 Euler Olympiad, Round 1
Given any arc $AB$ on a circle and points $C$ and $D$ on segment $AB$, such that $$CD = DB = 2AC.$$Find the ratio $\frac{CM}{MD}$, where $M$ is a point on arc $AB$, such that $\angle CMD$ is maximized.

IMAGE

Proposed by Andria Gvaramia, Georgia
2 replies
miiirz30
Mar 31, 2025
zuzuzu222
2 hours ago
S must be the incentre of triangle ABC
WakeUp   3
N 2 hours ago by Nari_Tom
Source: Baltic Way 2007
In triangle $ABC$ let $AD,BE$ and $CF$ be the altitudes. Let the points $P,Q,R$ and $S$ fulfil the following requirements:
i) $P$ is the circumcentre of triangle $ABC$.
ii) All the segments $PQ,QR$ and $RS$ are equal to the circumradius of triangle $ABC$.
iii) The oriented segment $PQ$ has the same direction as the oriented segment $AD$. Similarly, $QR$ has the same direction as $BE$, and $Rs$ has the same direction as $CF$.
Prove that $S$ is the incentre of triangle $ABC$.
3 replies
WakeUp
Nov 30, 2010
Nari_Tom
2 hours ago
Two midpoints and the circumcenter are collinear.
ricarlos   1
N 3 hours ago by Luis González
Let $ABC$ be a triangle with circumcenter $O$. Let $P$ be a point on the perpendicular bisector of $AB$ (see figure) and $Q$, $R$ be the intersections of the perpendicular bisectors of $AC$ and $BC$, respectively, with $PA$ and $PB$. Prove that the midpoints of $PC$ and $QR$ and the point $O$ are collinear.

1 reply
ricarlos
Yesterday at 5:52 PM
Luis González
3 hours ago
¿10^n-1 is a divisor of 11^n-1?
EmersonSoriano   2
N 3 hours ago by Giant_PT
Source: 2017 Peru Southern Cone TST P2
Determine if there exists a positive integer $n$ such that $10^n - 1$ is a divisor of $11^n - 1$.
2 replies
EmersonSoriano
Yesterday at 6:32 PM
Giant_PT
3 hours ago
n variable inequality estimating differences
liekkas   1
N 3 hours ago by flower417477
Let $n \ge 3$ be a positive integer, $a_i \in \mathbb{R^{+}}\left( i=1,2,\cdots,n \right)$, and $\sum_{i=1}^{n} a_i=n$. Prove that $$ n^2 \sum_{1 \le i < j \le n} \frac{(a_i-a_j)^2}{a_ia_j} \ge 4(n-1)\sum_{1 \le i < j \le n} (a_i-a_j)^2 $$
1 reply
liekkas
Sep 15, 2019
flower417477
3 hours ago
A point on the midline of BC.
EmersonSoriano   5
N 4 hours ago by ehuseyinyigit
Source: 2017 Peru Southern Cone TST P5
Let $ABC$ be an acute triangle with circumcenter $O$. Draw altitude $BQ$, with $Q$ on side $AC$. The parallel line to $OC$ passing through $Q$ intersects line $BO$ at point $X$. Prove that point $X$ and the midpoints of sides $AB$ and $AC$ are collinear.
5 replies
EmersonSoriano
Yesterday at 7:21 PM
ehuseyinyigit
4 hours ago
numbers on a blackboard
bryanguo   5
N 4 hours ago by teomihai
Source: 2023 HMIC P4
Let $n>1$ be a positive integer. Claire writes $n$ distinct positive real numbers $x_1, x_2, \dots, x_n$ in a row on a blackboard. In a $\textit{move},$ William can erase a number $x$ and replace it with either $\tfrac{1}{x}$ or $x+1$ at the same location. His goal is to perform a sequence of moves such that after he is done, the number are strictly increasing from left to right.
[list]
[*]Prove that there exists a positive constant $A,$ independent of $n,$ such that William can always reach his goal in at most $An \log n$ moves.
[*]Prove that there exists a positive constant $B,$ independent of $n,$ such that Claire can choose the initial numbers such that William cannot attain his goal in less than $Bn \log n$ moves.
[/list]
5 replies
bryanguo
Apr 25, 2023
teomihai
4 hours ago
Floor function for polynomials
kred9   2
N 4 hours ago by KAME06
Source: 2025 Utah Math Olympiad #2
Given polynomials $f(x)$ and $g(x)$, where $g(x)$ is not the zero polynomial, we define $\left \lfloor \frac{f(x)}{g(x)} \right \rfloor$ to be the unique polynomial $q(x)$ such that we can write $f(x)=g(x)\cdot q(x) + r(x)$, where $r(x)$ is a polynomial such that either $r(x)=0$ or the degree of $r(x)$ is less than the degree of $g(x)$. Find all polynomials $p(x)$ with real coefficients such that $$\left \lfloor \frac{p(x)}{x} \right \rfloor + \left \lfloor \frac{p(x)}{x+1} \right \rfloor =x^2.$$
2 replies
kred9
Yesterday at 11:53 PM
KAME06
4 hours ago
CGMO6: Airline companies and cities
v_Enhance   13
N Mar 29, 2025 by Marcus_Zhang
Source: 2012 China Girl's Mathematical Olympiad
There are $n$ cities, $2$ airline companies in a country. Between any two cities, there is exactly one $2$-way flight connecting them which is operated by one of the two companies. A female mathematician plans a travel route, so that it starts and ends at the same city, passes through at least two other cities, and each city in the route is visited once. She finds out that wherever she starts and whatever route she chooses, she must take flights of both companies. Find the maximum value of $n$.
13 replies
v_Enhance
Aug 13, 2012
Marcus_Zhang
Mar 29, 2025
CGMO6: Airline companies and cities
G H J
G H BBookmark kLocked kLocked NReply
Source: 2012 China Girl's Mathematical Olympiad
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v_Enhance
6871 posts
#1 • 3 Y
Y by HamstPan38825, Adventure10, Mango247
There are $n$ cities, $2$ airline companies in a country. Between any two cities, there is exactly one $2$-way flight connecting them which is operated by one of the two companies. A female mathematician plans a travel route, so that it starts and ends at the same city, passes through at least two other cities, and each city in the route is visited once. She finds out that wherever she starts and whatever route she chooses, she must take flights of both companies. Find the maximum value of $n$.
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Mewto55555
4210 posts
#2 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
So for $n=6$ by the well-known argument, we have a monochrome triangle, so that doesn't work, and for $n=4$ a working construction is easy to find (connect vertex pairs {1,2}, {1,3}, {3,4} with red, and the rest blue). The question is, what about $n=5$?

Well, if any vertex is connected to 3 others by lines of the same color, we're done (since if any of these three are connected by that same color as well, we have a triangle, if none, they themselves form a monochromatic triangle). Thus, if we have a counter-example, each vertex has two edges of each color from it.

WLOG, connect 1 to 2 and 3 by red, 4 and 5 by blue. 2-3 is b, and 4-5 must be red, else we have triangles. Then, 2 is connected to one of 4,5 by blue, and the other by red (since it already has one red and one blue edge), WLOG connect it to 4 by blue, 5 by red. 3-5 must be blue, or else 1-2-5-3 form a red 4-cycle, and then 3,4 is blue to preserve the 2 of each color at 2. But then 2,3,4 is a blue cycle, so 5 doesn't work and 4 is the maximum.
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mathocean97
606 posts
#3 • 3 Y
Y by Vega826, Adventure10, Mango247
In fact, this problem is exactly lemma 20.1 in Problems From the Book.

Lemma 20.1 states:
Every coloring in 2 colors of a complete 6-graph contains a monochromatic triangle.
The only coloring of two colors in a complete 5-graph that does not have monochromatic triangles has the form:
there exists a pentagon with diagonals blue and sides red.

It's surprising that such a well-known result could show up on a contest...
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MellowMelon
5850 posts
#4 • 6 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247, spiritshine1234, and 3 other users
Using a result like that is overkill. It's not surprising that a problem on the easy side like this one has appeared in a generalized form before.

The problem is basically asking when $K_n$'s edges can be partitioned into two acyclic graphs. An acyclic graph on $n$ vertices can have at most $n-1$ edges, so there are at most $2(n-1)$ edges. On the other hand $K_n$ has $\frac{n(n-1)}{2}$ edges, so $n \leq 4$. Get the easy construction for $K_4$ and that's it.
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mavropnevma
15142 posts
#5 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
Similarly, for $3$ colors we need three acyclic graphs, thus $\frac {n(n-1)} {2} \leq 3(n-1)$, whence $n\leq 6$. A model for a $K_6$ of vertices $\{1,2,3,4,5,6\}$ is given by the three paths $123456, 246135, 362514$.

Is it true that, for $k$ colors, needing $\frac {n(n-1)} {2} \leq k(n-1)$, hence $n\leq 2k$, the graph $K_{2k}$ can be partitioned into $k$ paths of length $2k-1$ each? or else in some other way into $k$ spanning trees ? This result should be known, I guess ...

EDIT. Indeed, it is proved that a $K_{2k}$ has a decomposition into $k$ Hamiltonian paths. Together with the above necessary condition $n\leq 2k$, we have a complete answer.
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Mewto55555
4210 posts
#6 • 1 Y
Y by Adventure10
mavropnevma wrote:
Is it true that, for $k$ colors, needing $\frac {n(n-1)} {2} \leq k(n-1)$, hence $n\leq 2k$, the graph $K_{2k}$ can be partitioned into $k$ paths of length $2k-1$ each? or else in some other way into $k$ spanning trees ? This result should be known, I guess ...

Slightly less specific, it's easy to prove by induction there exist trees such that their union is the graph (i.e. a construction for 2k cities and k airlines), by a basic induction.

Consider the n trees of length 2n-1 for the 2n case, and then for 2n+2 case, we have n+1 trees of length 2n+1; to make these just attach vertices 2n+1 and 2n+2 to vertex 1 in the tree for airline 1, attach them to vertex 2 in the tree for airline 2, etc up to n. Now we just need to connect vertices 2n+1 and 2n+2 to each other as well as to vertices n+1,...,2n -- just draw those in. Obviously all of these new "trees" are in fact still trees, since we can't have accidentally introduced a cycle.

So the answer is in the general case of $k$ airlines is indeed $2k$, though I haven't found a construction consisting solely of paths or spanning trees yet.
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yayups
1614 posts
#7 • 2 Y
Y by Adventure10, Mango247
The condition is saying that there is a graph $G$ on $n$ vertices such that it and its complement are both forests. We have $|E|=|V|-k$ for a forest ($k$ is the number of connected components). Therefore, we have that $e<n$ and $\binom{n}{2}-e<n$ where $e$ is the number of edges of $G$, so $\binom{n}{2}<2n$, so $n\le \boxed{4}$. For $n=4$, consider a path graph.
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62861
3564 posts
#8 • 4 Y
Y by v_Enhance, aopsuser305, Adventure10, Mango247
We are given that $K_n$ can be partitioned into two forests. Since forests are 2-colorable, $K_n$ is $2 \cdot 2$-colorable, so $n \le 4$.
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john0512
4176 posts
#9
Y by
This is just saying the largest possible number of vertices with no monochromatic cycle. We claim the answer is 4. This can be achieved by making the "C" shape red and the rest of the graph blue.

Consider the graph $B$ consisting of all the blue edges, and the graph $R$ consisting of all the red edges. Since each graph does not have a cycle, $B$ and $R$ both have at most $n-1$ edges. Since they have a total of ${n\choose 2}$ edges, we have $${n\choose 2}\leq 2(n-1)\rightarrow n\leq 4,$$hence done.
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shendrew7
793 posts
#10
Y by
Consider a graph $K_n$ with each edge colored red and blue. By Pigeonhole, at least $\left\lceil \frac{\binom n2}{2} \right\rceil$ edges of some color, say red. The maximal number of edges of a graph on $n$ vertices with no cycles is $n-1$, or a tree, so
\[\left\lceil \frac{\binom n2}{2} \right\rceil \leq n-1 \implies n \leq \boxed{4},\]which is easily constructable.
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cursed_tangent1434
569 posts
#11 • 1 Y
Y by GeoKing
Look at this in terms of graphs. The country is like a complete graph on $n$ vertices and the airlines are like coloring each edge in one of two colors - Blue or Red. So, what we need is the maximum value $n$ for which it is possible for the mathematician to take a cycle composed of only black or only white edges. We claim that the answer is $4$.

Note that, if we partition the edges into two groups as red and blue, each group must be acyclic (or else it is possible for the mathematician to pass through only edges of one color and return to where she started). But, we know that a tree on at most $n$ vertices has at most $n-1$ edges. Thus, each of these groups can have at most $n-1$ edges. On the other hand $K_n$ clear has $\binom{n}{2}$ edges and thus,
\[\frac{n(n-1)}{2} \leq 2(n-1)\]from which we conclude that $n\leq 4$ as desired.

Simply consider the following graph as a construction for $n=4$,
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joshualiu315
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The answer is $\boxed{n=4}$. Consider a graph $K_n$ with each edge colored red or blue. Neither monochromatic graph has a cycle, so each one has at most $n-1$ edges. Hence,

\[\binom{n}{2} \le 2(n-1) \implies n \le 4,\]
which is easily constructed.
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Markas
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If $n \geq 6$ there are three edges coming tru a single vertex in the same color, because of Dirihlet. Now the edges connecting the edges with the same color, should be colored in the other color leading to getting a monochromatic triangle - impossible. If n = 5, after bruteforcing the cases there is either a monochromatic triangle or pentagon, contradiction. For n = 4, the coloring is easy: if $K_4$ is square-like we color 3 of its sides with red and the other edges with blue $\Rightarrow$ $n \geq 5$, doesn't work and we show n = 4 work $\Rightarrow$ n = 4.
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Marcus_Zhang
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This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by Marcus_Zhang, Mar 29, 2025, 6:13 PM
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