The NIMO Compendium

Evan Chen

www.internetolympiad.org
Contents

A. Problems 4

I. Monthly Contest 5
1. September 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. October 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3. November 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4. December 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5. January 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6. February 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
7. May 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
8. September 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
9. November 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
10. December 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
11. January 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
12. February 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
13. March 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
14. May 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

II. Summer Contest 19

1. Summer 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2. Summer 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3. Summer 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4. Summer 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

III. April Fun Round 27

1. April 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2. April 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

IV. Winter Olympiad 32

1. Winter Olympiad 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2. Winter Olympiad 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3. Winter Olympiad 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4. Winter Olympiad 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

B. Answers and Solutions 37

V. Monthly Contest 38
1. September 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2. October 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3. November 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4. December 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5. January 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6. February 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
7. May 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

2
The NIMO Compendium Contents

8. September 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
9. November 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
10. December 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
11. January 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
12. February 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
13. March 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
14. May 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

VI. Summer Contest 40

1. Summer 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2. Summer 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3. Summer 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4. Summer 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

VII.April Fun Round 41

1. April 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2. April 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

VIII.
Winter Olympiad 42
1. Winter Olympiad 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2. Winter Olympiad 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
3. Winter Olympiad 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4. Winter Olympiad 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

3
 Part A.

Problems

4
I. Monthly Contest
1. September 17, 2012
8:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET

1. (Eugene Chen) Dan the dog spots Cate the cat 50m away. At that instant, Cate begins
running away from Dan at 6 ms , and Dan begins running toward Cate at 8 ms . Both of them
accelerate instantaneously and run in straight lines. Compute the number of seconds it takes
for Dan to reach Cate.

2. (Aaron Lin) A permutation (a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . , a100 ) of (1, 2, 3, . . . , 100) is chosen at random.

Denote by p the probability that a2i > a2i−1 for all i ∈ {1, 2, 3, . . . , 50}. Compute the
number of ordered pairs of positive integers (a, b) satisfying a1b = p.

3. (Aaron Lin) For positive integers 1 ≤ n ≤ 100, let

100
X
f (n) = i|i − n|.
i=1

Compute f (54) − f (55).

4. (Aaron Lin) In 4ABC, AB = AC. Its circumcircle, Γ, has a radius of 2. Circle Ω has√a
radius of 1 and is tangent to Γ, AB, and AC. The area of 4ABC can be expressed as a c b
for positive integers a, b, c, where b is squarefree and gcd(a, c) = 1. Compute a + b + c.

5. (Lewis Chen) If w = a + bi, where a and b are real numbers, then <(w) = a and =(w) = b.
Let z = c + di, where c, d ≥ 0. If

<(z) + =(z) = 7,
<(z 2 ) + =(z 2 ) = 17,

then compute < z 3 + = z 3 .




6. (Lewis Chen) A square is called proper if its sides are parallel to the coordinate axes. Point
P is randomly selected inside a proper square S with side length 2012. Denote by T the
largest proper square that lies within S and has P on its perimeter, and denote by a the
expected value of the side length of T . Compute bac, the greatest integer less than or equal
to a.

7. (Aaron Lin) Point P lies in the interior of rectangle ABCD such that AP + CP = 27,
BP − DP = 17, and ∠DAP ∼ = ∠DCP . Compute the area of rectangle ABCD.

8. (Lewis Chen) The positive integer-valued function f (n) satisfies f (f (n)) = 4n and f (n +
1) > f (n) > 0 for all positive integers n. Compute the number of possible 16-tuples
(f (1), f (2), f (3), . . . , f (16)).

5
The NIMO Compendium 2. October 2012

2. October 17, 2012

8:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET

1. (Evan Chen) Compute the largest integer N ≤ 2012 with four distinct digits.

2. (Unknown) A normal magic square of order n is an arrangement of the integers from 1 to n2

in a square such that the n numbers in each row, each column, and each of the two diagonals
sum to a constant, called the magic sum of the magic square. Compute the magic sum of a
normal magic square of order 8.

3. (Aaron Lin) A polygon A1 A2 A3 . . . An is called beautiful if there exist indices i, j, and k such
that ]Ai Aj Ak = 144◦ . Compute the number of integers 3 ≤ n ≤ 2012 for which a regular
n-gon is beautiful.

4. (Eugene Chen) When flipped, coin A shows heads 31 of the time, coin B shows heads 12 of
the time, and coin C shows heads 32 of the time. Anna selects one of the coins at random
and flips it four times, yielding three heads and one tail. The probability that Anna flipped
coin A can be expressed as pq for relatively prime positive integers p and q. Compute p + q.

5. (Lewis Chen) In 4ABC, AB = 30, BC = 40, and CA = 50. Squares A1 A2 BC, B1 B2 AC,
and C1 C2 AB are erected outside 4ABC, and the pairwise intersections of lines A1 A2 , B1 B2 ,
and C1 C2 are P , Q, and R. Compute the length of the shortest altitude of 4P QR.

6. (Aaron Lin) In 4ABC with circumcenter O, ]A = 45◦ . Denote by X the second intersection
−→
of AO with the circumcircle of 4BOC. Compute the area of quadrilateral ABXC if BX = 8
and CX = 15.

7. (Lewis Chen) The sequence {ai }i≥1 is defined by a1 = 1 and

√
an = ban−1 + an−1 c

for all n ≥ 2. Compute the eighth perfect square in the sequence.

8. (Evan Chen) Compute the number of sequences of real numbers a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . , a16 satisfying
the condition that for every positive integer n,
(
n 2n 16n 10n+1 + 10n + 1 for even n
a1 + a2 + · · · + a16 = .
10n − 1 for odd n

6
The NIMO Compendium 3. November 2012

3. November 24, 2012

8:00 PM – 8:45 PM ET

1. (Isabella Grabski ) Hexagon ABCDEF is inscribed in a circle. If ]ACE = 35◦ and ]CEA =
55◦ , then compute the sum of the degree measures of ∠ABC and ∠EF A.

2. (Aaron Lin) Compute the number of positive integers n < 2012 that share exactly two
positive factors with 2012.

3. (Lewis Chen) Compute the sum of the distinct prime factors of 10101.

4. (Lewis Chen) The subnumbers of an integer n are the numbers that can be formed by using
a contiguous subsequence of the digits. For example, the subnumbers of 135 are 1, 3, 5, 13,
35, and 135. Compute the number of primes less than 1,000,000,000 that have no non-prime
subnumbers. One such number is 37, because 3, 7, and 37 are prime, but 135 is not one,
because the subnumbers 1, 35, and 135 are not prime.

5. (Lewis Chen) The hour and minute hands on a certain 12-hour analog clock are indistin-
guishable. If the hands of the clock move continuously, compute the number of times strictly
between noon and midnight for which the information on the clock is not sufficient to deter-
mine the time.
√
6. (Evan Chen) In rhombus N IM O, M N = 150 3 and ]M ON = 60◦ . Denote by S the locus
of points P in the interior of N IM O such that ∠M P O ∼ = ∠N P O. Find the greatest integer
not exceeding the perimeter of S.

7. (Lewis Chen) For every pair of reals 0 < a < b < 1, we define sequences {xn }n≥0 and {yn }n≥0
by x0 = 0, y0 = 1, and for each integer n ≥ 1:

xn = (1 − a)xn−1 + ayn−1 ,
yn = (1 − b)xn−1 + byn−1 .

The supermean of a and b is the limit of {xn } as n approaches infinity. Over all pairs of real

2
2 1 2
numbers (p, q) satisfying p − 21 + q − 12 ≤ 10


, the minimum possible value of the
supermean of p and q can be expressed as m n for relatively prime positive integers m and n.
Compute 100m + n.

8. (Lewis Chen) Concentric circles Ω1 and Ω2 with radii 1 and 100, respectively, are drawn with
center O. Points A and B are chosen independently at random on the circumferences of Ω1
and Ω2 , respectively. Denote by ` the tangent line to Ω1 passing through A, and denote by
P the reflection of B across `. Compute the expected value of OP 2 .

9. (Lewis Chen) Let f (x) = x2 − 2x. A set of real numbers S is valid if it satisfies the following:
(a) If x ∈ S, then f (x) ∈ S.
(b) If x ∈ S and f (f (. . . f (x) . . . )) = x for some integer k, then f (x) = x.
| {z }
k f ’s
Compute the number of 7-element valid sets.

10. (Evan Chen) For reals x1 , x2 , x3 , . . . , x333 ∈ [−1, ∞), let Sk = xk1 + xk2 + · · · + xk333 for each
k. If S2 = 777, compute the least possible value of S3 .

7
The NIMO Compendium 4. December 2012

4. December 17, 2012

8:00 PM – 8:45 PM ET
1. (Eugene Chen) Compute the average of the integers 2, 3, 4, . . . , 2012.
n 40
2. (Eugene Chen) For which positive integer n is the quantity 3 + n minimized?
3. (Lewis Chen) In chess, there are two types of minor pieces, the bishop and the knight. A
bishop may move along a diagonal, as √long as there are no pieces obstructing its path. A
knight may jump to any lattice square 5 away as long as it isn’t occupied.
One day, a bishop and a knight were on squares in the same row of an infinite chessboard,
when a huge meteor storm occurred, placing a meteor in each square on the chessboard
independently and randomly with probability p. Neither the bishop nor the knight were hit,
but their movement may have been obstructed by the meteors.
The value of p that would make the expected number of valid squares that the bishop can
move to and the number of squares that the knight can move to equal can be expressed as
a
b for relatively prime positive integers a, b. Compute 100a + b.

4. (Lewis Chen) Let S = {(x, y) : x, y ∈ {1, 2, 3, . . . , 2012}}. For all points (a, b), let N (a, b) =
{(a−1, b), (a+1, b), (a, b−1), (a, b+1)}. Kathy constructs
P a set T by adding n distinct points
from S to T at random. If the expected value of (a,b)∈T |N (a, b) ∩ T | is 4, then compute n.

5. (Eugene Chen) A number is called purple if it can be expressed in the form 2a15b for positive
integers a > b. The sum of all purple numbers can be expressed as ab for relatively prime
positive integers a, b. Compute 100a + b.
√ √ √
6. (Lewis Chen) The polynomial P (x) = x3 + 6x2 − 2x − 3 has three distinct real roots.
Compute the sum of all 0 ≤ θ < 360 such that P (tan θ◦ ) = 0.
7. (Aaron Lin) In quadrilateral ABCD, AC = BD and ]B = 60◦ . Denote by M and N the
midpoints of AB and CD, respectively. If M N = 12 and the area of quadrilateral ABCD is
420, then compute AC.
8. (Lewis Chen) Bob has invented the Very Normal Coin (VNC). When the VNC is flipped, it
shows heads 12 of the time and tails 12 of the time - unless it has yielded the same result five
times in a row, in which case it is guaranteed to yield the opposite result. For example, if
Bob flips five heads in a row, then the next flip is guaranteed to be tails.
Bob flips the VNC an infinite number of times. On the nth flip, Bob bets 2−n dollars that
the VNC will show heads (so if the second flip shows heads, Bob wins $0.25, and if the third
flip shows tails, Bob loses $0.125).
Assume that dollars are infinitely divisible. Given that the first flip is heads, the expected
number of dollars Bob is expected to win can be expressed as ab for relatively prime positive
integers a, b. Compute 100a + b.
9. (Lewis Chen) In how many ways can the following figure be tiled with 2 × 1 dominos?

10. (Aaron Lin) In cyclic quadrilateral ABXC, ]XAB = ]XAC. Denote by I the incenter of
4ABC and by D the projection of I on BC. If AI = 25, ID = 7, and BC = 14, then XI
can be expressed as ab for relatively prime positive integers a, b. Compute 100a + b.

8
The NIMO Compendium 5. January 2013

5. January 24, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET

1. (Evan Chen) Tim is participating in the following three math contests. On each contest his
score is the number of correct answers.
• The Local Area Inspirational Math Exam consists of 15 problems.
• The Further Away Regional Math League has 10 problems.
• The Distance-Optimized Math Open has 50 problems.
For every positive integer n, Tim knows the answer to the nth problems on each contest
(which are pairwise distinct), if they exist; however, these answers have been randomly
permuted so that he does not know which answer corresponds to which contest. Unaware
of the shuffling, he competes with his modified answers. Compute the expected value of the
sum of his scores on all three contests.

2. (Eugene Chen) The cost of five water bottles is $13, rounded to the nearest dollar, and the
cost of six water bottles is $16, also rounded to the nearest dollar. If all water bottles cost
the same integer number of cents, compute the number of possible values for the cost of a
water bottle.

3. (Evan Chen) In triangle ABC, AB = 13, BC = 14 and CA = 15. Segment BC is split

into n + 1 congruent segments by n points. Among these points are the feet of the altitude,
median, and angle bisector from A. Find the smallest possible value of n.

4. (Aaron Lin) The infinite geometric series of positive reals a1 , a2 , . . . satisfies

∞ ∞
X 1 X 1
1= an = − + GM(a1 , a2 , . . . , an ) = + a1
2013 N
n=1 n=1
√
where GM(x1 , x2 , . . . , xk ) = k x1 x2 · · · xk denotes the geometric mean. Compute N .

5. (Evan Chen) Compute the number of five-digit positive integers vwxyz for which

(10v + w) + (10w + x) + (10x + y) + (10y + z) = 100.

6. (Lewis Chen) Tom has a scientific calculator. Unfortunately, all keys are broken except for
one row: 1, 2, 3, + and -. Tom presses a sequence of 5 random keystrokes; at each stroke,
each key is equally likely to be pressed. The calculator then evaluates the entire expression,
yielding a result of E. Find the expected value of E. (Note: Negative numbers are permitted,
so 13-22 gives E = −9. Any excess operators are parsed as signs, so -2-+3 gives E = −5
and -+-31 gives E = 31. Trailing operators are discarded, so 2++-+ gives E = 2. A string
consisting only of operators, such as -++-+, gives E = 0.)

7. (Evan Chen) For each integer k ≥ 2, the decimal expansions of the numbers 1024, 10242 ,
. . . , 1024k are concatenated, in that order, to obtain a number Xk . (For example, X2 =
10241048576.) If
Xn
1024n
is an odd integer, find the smallest possible value of n, where n ≥ 2 is an integer.

8. (Evan Chen) Let AXY ZB be a convex pentagon inscribed in a semicircle with diameter
AB. Suppose that AZ − AX = 6, BX − BZ = 9, AY = 12, and BY = 5. Find the greatest
integer not exceeding the perimeter of quadrilateral OXY Z, where O is the midpoint of AB.

9
The NIMO Compendium 6. February 2013

6. February 24, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:45 PM ET
1. (Anonymous) Find the sum of all primes that can be written both as a sum of two primes
and as a difference of two primes.
n
2. (Ivan Koswara) Let f be a function from positive integers to positive integers where f (n) = 2
if n is even and f (n) = 3n + 1 if n is odd. If a is the smallest positive integer satisfying
f (f (· · · f (a) · · · )) = 2013,
| {z }
2013 f ’s

find the remainder when a is divided by 1000.

3. (Kevin Sun) Find the integer n ≥ 48 for which the number of trailing zeros in the decimal
representation of n! is exactly n − 48.
4. (Alexander Dai ) While taking the SAT, you become distracted by your own answer sheet.
Because you are not bound to the College Board’s limiting rules, you realize that there are
actually 32 ways to mark your answer for each question, because you could fight the system
and bubble in multiple letters at once: for example, you could mark AB, or AC, or ABD,
or even ABCDE, or nothing at all!
You begin to wonder how many ways you could mark off the 10 questions you haven’t yet
answered. To increase the challenge, you wonder how many ways you could mark off the rest
of your answer sheet without ever marking the same letter twice in a row. (For example, if
ABD is marked for one question, AC cannot be marked for the next one because A would
be marked twice in a row.) If the number of ways to do this can be expressed in the form
2m pn , where m, n > 1 are integers and p is a prime, compute 100m + n + p.
5. (Ahaan Rungta) Zang is at the point (3, 3) in the coordinate plane. Every second, he can move
one unit up or one unit right, but he may never visit points where the x and y coordinates
are both composite. In how many ways can he reach the point (20, 13)?
1 1
6. (ssilwa) For each positive integer n, let Hn = 1 + 2 + · · · + n1 . If
∞
X 1 M
=
nHn Hn−1 N
n=4

for relatively prime positive integers M and N , compute 100M + N .

7. (Matthew Babbitt) In 4ABC with AB = 10, AC = 13, and ]ABC = 30◦ , M is the
midpoint of BC and the circle with diameter AM meets CB and CA again at D and E,
respectively. The area of 4DEM can be expressed as m
n for relatively prime positive integers
m, n. Compute 100m + n.
8. (Ivan Koswara) Find the number of positive integers n for which there exists a sequence
x1 , x2 , · · · , xn of integers with the following property: if indices 1 ≤ i ≤ j ≤ n satisfy
i + j ≤ n and xi − xj is divisible by 3, then xi+j + xi + xj + 1 is divisible by 3.
9. (Calvin Lee) Let ABCD be a square of side length 6. Points E and F are selected on rays
AB and AD such that segments EF and BC intersect at a point L, D lies between A and
F , and the area of 4AEF is 36. Clio constructs triangle
√ P QR with P Q = BL, QR = CL
and RP = DF , and notices that the area of 4P QR is 6. If the sum of all possible values
√ √
of DF is m + n for positive integers m ≥ n, compute 100m + n.
10. (Varun√Mohan) 3 3

Let x 6= y be positive reals satisfying x + 2013y 2= y + 2013x, and let
M= 3 + 1 x + 2y. Determine the maximum possible value of M .

10
The NIMO Compendium 7. May 2013

7. May 27, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET

1. (Lewis Chen) At ARML, Santa is asked to give rubber duckies to 2013 students, one for
each student. The students are conveniently numbered 1, 2, · · · , 2013, and for any integers
1 ≤ m < n ≤ 2013, students m and n are friends if and only if 0 ≤ n − 2m ≤ 1.
Santa has only four different colors of duckies, but because he wants each student to feel
special, he decides to give duckies of different colors to any two students who are either
friends or who share a common friend. Let N denote the number of ways in which he can
select a color for each student. Find the remainder when N is divided by 1000.

2. (Eugene Chen) In 4ABC, points E and F lie on AC, AB, respectively. Denote by P the
intersection of BE and CF . Compute the maximum possible area of 4ABC if P B = 14,
P C = 4, P E = 7, P F = 2.

3. (Lewis Chen) Richard has a four infinitely large piles of coins: a pile of pennies (worth 1 cent
each), a pile of nickels (5 cents), a pile of dimes (10 cents), and a pile of quarters (25 cents).
He chooses one pile at random and takes one coin from that pile. Richard then repeats this
process until the sum of the values of the coins he has taken is an integer number of dollars.
(One dollar is 100 cents.) What is the expected value of this final sum of money, in cents?

4. (Evan Chen) Find the positive integer N for which there exist reals α, β, γ, θ which obey

0.1 = sin γ cos θ sin α,

0.2 = sin γ sin θ cos α,
0.3 = cos γ cos θ sin β,
0.4 = cos γ sin θ cos β,
0.5 ≥ |N − 100 cos 2θ| .

5. (Lewis Chen) For every integer n ≥ 1, the function fn : {0, 1, · · · , n} → R is defined recur-
sively by fn (0) = 0, fn (1) = 1 and

(n − k)fn (k − 1) + kfn (k + 1) = nfn (k)

for each 1 ≤ k < n. Let SN = fN +1 (1) + fN +2 (2) + · · · + f2N (N ). Find the remainder when
bS2013 c is divided by 2011. (Here bxc is the greatest integer not exceeding x.)

11
The NIMO Compendium 8. September 2013

8. September 24, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET

1. (Evan Chen) Let a, b, c, d, e be positive reals satisfying

a+b=c
a+b+c=d
a + b + c + d = e.

If c = 5, compute a + b + c + d + e.

2. (Aaron Lin) A positive integer N has 20 digits when written in base 9 and 13 digits when
written in base 27. How many digits does N have when written in base 3?

3. (Evan Chen) Integers a, b, c are selected independently and at random from the set {1, 2, . . . , 10},
with replacement. If p is the probability that ab−1 bc−1 ca−1 is a power of two, compute 1000p.

4. (Aaron Lin) On side AB of square ABCD, point E is selected. Points F and G are located
on sides AB and AD, respectively, such that F G ⊥ CE. Let P be the intersection point of
segments F G and CE. Given that [EP F ] = 1, [EP GA] = 8, and [CP F B] = 15, compute
[P GDC]. (Here [P] denotes the area of the polygon P.)

5. (Aaron Lin) Let x, y, z be complex numbers satisfying

z 2 + 5x = 10z
y 2 + 5z = 10y
x2 + 5y = 10x

Find the sum of all possible values of z.

6. (Lewis Chen) Let f (n) = ϕ(n3 )−1 , where ϕ(n) denotes the number of positive integers not
greater than n that are relatively prime to n. Suppose

f (1) + f (3) + f (5) + . . . m

=
f (2) + f (4) + f (6) + . . . n

where m and n are relatively prime positive integers. Compute 100m + n.

7. (Aaron Lin) Dragon selects three positive real numbers with sum 100, uniformly at random.
He asks Cat to copy them down, but Cat gets lazy and rounds them all to the nearest tenth
during transcription. If the probability the three new numbers still sum to 100 is m
n , where
m and n are relatively prime positive integers, compute 100m + n.

8. (Evan Chen) The diagonals of convex quadrilateral BSCT meet at the midpoint M of ST .
Lines BT and SC meet at A, and AB = 91, BC = 98, CA = 105. Given that AM ⊥ BC,
find the positive difference between the areas of 4SM C and 4BM T .

12
The NIMO Compendium 9. November 2013

9. November 13, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET

1. (Jeremy Lu) A sequence a0 , a1 , a2 , . . . of real numbers satisfies a0 = 999, a1 = −999, and

an = an−1 an+1 for each positive integer n. Compute |a1 + a2 + · · · + a1000 |.

2. (Ahaan S. Rungta) Let f be a non-constant polynomial such that

f (x)2
f (x − 1) + f (x) + f (x + 1) =
2013x
for all nonzero real numbers x. Find the sum of all possible values of f (1).

3. (Michael Ren) Let a1 , a2 , . . . , a1000 be positive integers whose sum is S. If an ! divides n for
each n = 1, 2, . . . , 1000, compute the maximum possible value of S.

4. (Ahaan S. Rungta / Amir Hossein) Consider a set of 1001 points in the plane, no three
collinear. Compute the minimum number of segments that must be drawn so that among
any four points, we can find a triangle.

5. (Matthew Lerner-Brecher ) Let d and n be positive integers such that d divides n, n > 1000,
√
and n is
√not a perfect square. The minimum possible value of |d − n| can be written in the
form a b + c, where b is a positive integer not divisible by the square of any prime, and a
and c are nonzero integers (not necessarily positive). Compute a + b + c.

6. (Yang Liu) Let ABC be a triangle with AB = 42, AC = 39, BC = 45. Let E, F be on the
sides AC and AB such that AF = 21, AE = 13. Let CF and BE intersect at P , and let
ray AP meet BC at D. Let O denote the circumcenter of 4DEF , and R its circumradius.
Compute CO2 − R2 .

7. (Joshua Xiong) Tyler has two calculators, both of which initially display zero. The first
calculators has only two buttons, [+1] and [×2]. The second has only the buttons [+1] and
[×4]. Both calculators update their displays immediately after each keystroke.
A positive integer n is called ambivalent if the minimum number of keystrokes needed to
display n on the first calculator equals the minimum number of keystrokes needed to display
n on the second calculator. Find the sum of all ambivalent integers between 256 and 1024
inclusive.

8. (Michael Ren) Let ABCD be a convex quadrilateral with ∠ABC = 120◦ and ∠BCD = 90◦ ,
and let M and N denote the midpoints of BC and CD. Suppose there exists a point P
on the circumcircle of 4CM N such that ray M P bisects AD and ray N P bisects AB. If
AB + BC = 444, CD = 256 and BC = m n for some relatively prime positive integers m and
n, compute 100m + n.

13
The NIMO Compendium 10. December 2013

10. December 3, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET

1. (Evan Chen) Richard likes to solve problems from the IMO Shortlist. In 2013, Richard solves
5 problems each Saturday and 7 problems each Sunday. He has school on weekdays, so he
“only” solves 2, 1, 2, 1, 2 problems on each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday, respectively – with the exception of December 3, 2013, where he solved 60 problems
out of boredom. Altogether, how many problems does Richard solve in 2013?

2. (Lewis Chen) How many integers n are there such that (n + 1!)(n + 2!)(n + 3!) · · · (n + 2013!)
is divisible by 210 and 1 ≤ n ≤ 210?

3. (Evan Chen) At Stanford in 1988, human calculator Shakuntala Devi was asked to compute
√ √
m = 3 61,629,875 and n = 7 170,859,375. Given that m and n are both integers, compute
100m + n.

4. (Lewis Chen) Let S = {1, 2, · · · , 2013}. Let N denote the number 9-tuples of sets (S1 , S2 , . . . , S9 )
such that S2n−1 , S2n+1 ⊆ S2n ⊆ S for n = 1, 2, 3, 4. Find the remainder when N is divided
by 1000.

5. (Evan Chen) In a certain game, Auntie Hall has four boxes B1 , B2 , B3 , B4 , exactly one of
which contains a valuable gemstone; the other three contain cups of yogurt. You are told
n
the probability the gemstone lies in box Bn is 10 for n = 1, 2, 3, 4.
Initially you may select any of the four boxes; Auntie Hall then opens one of the other three
boxes at random (which may contain the gemstone) and reveals its contents. Afterwards,
you may change your selection to any of the four boxes, and you win if and only if your final
selection contains the gemstone. Let the probability of winning assuming optimal play be
m
n , where m and n are relatively prime integers. Compute 100m + n.

6. (Lewis Chen) Given a regular dodecagon (a convex polygon with 12 congruent sides and
angles) with area 1, there are two possible ways to dissect this polygon into 12 equilateral
triangles and 6 squares. Let T1 denote the union of all triangles in the first dissection, and
S1 the union of all squares. Define T2 and S2 similarly for the second √dissection. Let S and
T denote the areas of S1 ∩ S2 and T1 ∩ T2 , respectively. If TS = a+bc 3 where a and b are
integers, c is a positive integer, and gcd(a, c) = 1, compute 10000a + 100b + c.

7. (Evan Chen) Let ABCD be a convex quadrilateral for which DA = AB and CA = CB.
Set I0 = C and J0 = D, and for each nonnegative integer n, let In+1 and Jn+1 denote the
incenters of 4In AB and 4Jn AB, respectively. Suppose that

2k + 1 ◦
 
◦ ◦
∠DAC = 15 , ∠BAC = 65 and ∠J2013 J2014 I2014 = 90 +
2n

for some nonnegative integers n and k. Compute n + k.

8. (Lewis Chen) The number 12 is written on a blackboard. For a real number c with 0 < c < 1,
a c-splay is an operation in which every number x on the board is erased and replaced by
the two numbers cx and 1 − c(1 − x). A splay-sequence C = (c1 , c2 , c3 , c4 ) is an application
of a ci -splay for i = 1, 2, 3, 4 in that order, and its power is defined by P (C) = c1 c2 c3 c4 .
1 2
Let S be the set ofPsplay-sequences which yield the numbers 17 , 17 , . . . , 16
17 on the blackboard
in some order. If C∈S P (C) = m n for relatively prime positive integers m and n, compute
100m + n.

14
The NIMO Compendium 11. January 2014

11. January 31, 2014

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET

1. (Lewis Chen) Define Hn = 1 + 21 + · · · + n1 . Let the sum of all Hn that are terminating in base
10 be S. If S = m/n where m and n are relatively prime positive integers, find 100m + n.

2. (Evan Chen) In the game of Guess the Card, two players each have a 21 chance of winning
and there is exactly one winner. Sixteen competitors stand in a circle, numbered 1, 2, . . . , 16
clockwise. They participate in an 4-round single-elimination tournament of Guess the Card.
Each round, the referee randomly chooses one of the remaining players, and the players pair
off going clockwise, starting from the chosen one; each pair then plays Guess the Card and
the losers leave the circle. If the probability that players 1 and 9 face each other in the last
round is mn where m, n are positive integers, find 100m + n.

3. (Lewis Chen) Call an integer k debatable if the number of odd factors of k is a power of
two. What is the largest positive integer n such that there exists n consecutive debatable
numbers? (Here, a power of two is defined to be any number of the form 2m , where m is a
nonnegative integer.)

4. (Evan Chen) Let a, b, c be positive reals for which

(a + b)(a + c) = bc + 2
(b + c)(b + a) = ca + 5
(c + a)(c + b) = ab + 9
m
If abc = n for relatively prime positive integers m and n, compute 100m + n.
1
5. (Evan Chen) In triangle ABC, sin A sin B sin C = 1000 and AB · BC · CA = 1000. What is
the area of triangle ABC?

6. (Lewis Chen) Suppose we wish to pick a random integer between 1 and N inclusive by
flipping a fair coin. One way we can do this is through generating a random binary decimal
between 0 and 1, then multiplying the result by N and taking the ceiling. However, this
would take an infinite amount of time. We therefore stopping the flipping process after we
have enough flips to determine the ceiling of the number. For instance, if N = 3, we could
conclude that the number is 2 after flipping .0112 , but .0102 is inconclusive.
m
Suppose N = 2014. The expected number of flips for such a process is n where m, n are
relatively prime positive integers, find 100m + n.

7. (Evan Chen) Let P (n) be a polynomial of degree m with integer coefficients, where m ≤ 10.
Suppose that P (0) = 0, P (n) has m distinct integer roots, and P (n) + 1 can be factored as
the product of two nonconstant polynomials with integer coefficients. Find the sum of all
possible values of P (2).

8. (Eugene Chen) The side lengths of 4ABC are integers with no common factor greater than
1. Given that ∠B = 2∠C and AB < 600, compute the sum of all possible values of AB.

15
The NIMO Compendium 12. February 2014

12. February 24, 2014

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET

1. (Aaron) You drop a 7cm long piece of mechanical pencil lead on the floor. A bully takes the
lead and breaks it at a random point into two pieces. A piece of lead is unusable if it is 2cm
or shorter. If the expected value of the number of usable pieces afterwards is m
n for relatively
prime positive integers m and n, compute 100m + n.

2. (Eugene Chen) Let ABC be an equilateral triangle. Denote by D the midpoint of BC, and
denote the circle√with diameter AD by Ω. If the region inside Ω and outside 4ABC has
area 800π − 600 3, find the length of AB.

3. (Aaron Lin) In land of Nyemo, the unit of currency is called a quack. The citizens use coins
that are worth 1, 5, 25, and 125 quacks. How many ways can someone pay off 125 quacks
using these coins?

4. (Eugene Chen) Let S be the set of integers which are both a multiple of 70 and a factor of
630,000. A random element c of S is selected. If the probability that there exists an integer
d with gcd(c, d) = 70 and lcm(c, d) = 630,000 is m
n for some relatively prime integers m and
n, compute 100m + n.

5. (Lewis Chen) Triangle ABC has sidelengths AB = 14, BC = 15, and CA = 13. We draw a
circle with diameter AB such that it passes BC again at D and passes CA again at E. If
the circumradius of 4CDE can be expressed as mn where m, n are coprime positive integers,
determine 100m + n.

6. (Lewis Chen) Let N = 106 . For which integer a with 0 ≤ a ≤ N − 1 is the value of
   
N N
−
a+1 a

maximized?

7. (Ivan Koswara) Find the sum of all integers n with 2 ≤ n ≤ 999 and the following property:
if x and y are randomly selected without replacement from the set {1, 2, . . . , n}, then x + y
is even with probability p, where p is the square of a rational number.

8. (Evan Chen) Let a, b, c, d be complex numbers satisfying

5=a+b+c+d
125 = (5 − a)4 + (5 − b)4 + (5 − c)4 + (5 − d)4
1205 = (a + b)4 + (b + c)4 + (c + d)4 + (d + a)4 + (a + c)4 + (b + d)4
25 = a4 + b4 + c4 + d4

Compute abcd.

16
The NIMO Compendium 13. March 2014

13. March 24, 2014

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET

1. (Kevin Sun) Let η(m) be the product of all positive integers that divide m, including 1 and
m. If η(η(η(10))) = 10n , compute n.

2. (Rajiv Movva) Two points A and B are selected independently and uniformly at random
along the perimeter of a unit square with vertices at (0, 0), (1, 0), (0, 1), and (1, 1). The
probability that the y-coordinate of A is strictly greater than the y-coordinate of B can be
expressed as mn , where m and n are relatively prime positive integers. Compute 100m + n.

3. (Yonah Borns-Weil ) Find the number of positive integers n with exactly 1974 factors such
that no prime greater than 40 divides n, and n ends in one of the digits 1, 3, 7, 9. (Note
that 1974 = 2 · 3 · 7 · 47.)

4. (Ahaan Rungta) A black bishop and a white king are placed randomly on a 2000 × 2000
chessboard (in distinct squares). Let p be the probability that the bishop attacks the king
(that is, the bishop and king lie on some common diagonal of the board). Then p can be
expressed in the form mn , where m and n are relatively prime positive integers. Compute m.

5. (Akshaj ) Let a positive integer n be nice if there exists a positive integer m such that

n3 < 5mn < n3 + 100.

Find the number of nice positive integers.

6. (Alex Gu) Let P (x) be a polynomial with real coefficients such that P (12) = 20 and

(x − 1) · P (16x) = (8x − 1) · P (8x)

holds for all real numbers x. Compute the remainder when P (2014) is divided by 1000.

7. (Michael Tang) Let N denote the number of ordered pairs of sets (A, B) such that A ∪ B is
a size-999 subset of {1, 2, . . . , 1997} and (A ∩ B) ∩ {1, 2} = {1}. If m and k are integers such
that 3m 5k divides N , compute the the largest possible value of m + k.

8. (Akshaj ) Triangle ABC lies entirely in the first quadrant of the Cartesian plane, and its
sides have slopes 63, 73, 97. Suppose the curve V with equation y = (x + 3)(x2 + 3) passes
through the vertices of ABC. Find the sum of the slopes of the three tangents to V at each
of A, B, C.

17
The NIMO Compendium 14. May 2014

14. May 15, 2014

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET

1. (Evan Chen) Let A, B, C, D be four points on a line in this order. Suppose that AC = 25,
BD = 40, and AD = 57. Compute AB · CD + AD · BC.

2. (Lewis Chen) In the Generic Math Tournament, 99 people participate. One of the partici-
pants, Alfred, scores 16th in Algebra, 30th in Combinatorics, and 23rd in Geometry (and does
not tie with anyone). The overall ranking is computed by adding the scores from all three
tests. Given this information, let B be the best ranking that Alfred could have achieved,
and let W be the worst ranking that he could have achieved. Compute 100B + W .

3. (Lewis Chen) In triangle ABC, we have AB = AC = 20 and BC = 14. Consider points M

on AB and N on AC. If the minimum value of the sum BN + M N + M C is x, compute
100x.

4. (Lewis Chen) Define the infinite products

∞   ∞  
Y 1 Y 1
A= 1 − 3 and B = 1+ .
n n(n + 1)
i=2 i=1

A m
If B = n where m, n are relatively prime positive integers, determine 100m + n.

5. (Evan Chen) Find the largest integer n for which 2n divides

     
2 4 6 128
... .
1 2 3 64

6. (Lewis Chen) 10 students are arranged in a row. Every minute, a new student is inserted
in the row (which can occur in the front and in the back as well, hence 11 possible places)
1
with a uniform 11 probability of each location. Then, either the frontmost or the backmost
student is removed from the row (each with a 12 probability).
Suppose you are the eighth in the line from the front. The probability that you exit the
row from the front rather than the back is m
n , where m and n are relatively prime positive
integers. Find 100m + n.

7. (Lewis Chen) Ana and Banana play a game. First, Ana picks a real number p with 0 ≤ p ≤ 1.
Then, Banana picks an integer h greater than 1 and creates a spaceship with h hit points.
Now every minute, Ana decreases the spaceship’s hit points by 2 with probability 1 − p, and
by 3 with probability p. Ana wins if and only if the number of hit points is reduced to exactly
0 at some point (in particular, if the spaceship has a negative number of hit points at any
time then Ana loses). Given that Ana and Banana select p and h optimally, compute the
integer closest to 1000p.

8. (Evan Chen) Let x be a positive real number. Define

∞ ∞ ∞
X x3k X x3k+1 X x3k+2
A= , B= , and C = .
(3k)! (3k + 1)! (3k + 2)!
k=0 k=0 k=0

Given that A3 + B 3 + C 3 + 8ABC = 2014, compute ABC.

18
II. Summer Contest
1. Summer 2011
6:00 PM – 6:15 PM ET

1. (Unknown) A jar contains 4 blue marbles, 3 green marbles, and 5 red marbles. If Helen
reaches in the jar and selects a marble at random, then the probability that she selects a red
marble can be expressed as m n , where m and n are relatively prime positive integers. Find
m + n.

2. (Unknown) The sum of three consecutive integers is 15. Determine their product.

3. (Isabella Grabski ) Define bxc as the largest integer less than or equal to x. Define {x} =
x − bxc. For example, {3} = 3 − 3 = 0, {π} = π − 3, and {−π} = 4 − π. If {n} + {3n} = 1.4,
then find the sum of all possible values of 100{n}.

4. (Lewis Chen) Find the number of ordered pairs of integers (a, b) that satisfy the inequality

1 < a < b + 2 < 10.

5. (Isabella Grabski ) In equilateral triangle ABC, the midpoint of BC is M . If the circumcircle

of triangle M AB has area 36π, then find the perimeter of the triangle.
x2
6. (Lewis Chen) If the answer to this problem is x, then compute the value of 8 + 2.

7. (Aaron Lin) Let P (x) = x2 − 20x − 11. If a and b are natural numbers such that a is
composite, gcd(a, b) = 1, and P (a) = P (b), compute ab.

Note: gcd(m, n) denotes the greatest common divisor of m and n.

8. (Lewis Chen) Triangle ABC with ]A = 90◦ has incenter I. A circle passing through A
with center I is drawn, intersecting BC at E and F such that BE < BF . If BE 2
EF = 3 , then
CF m
F E = n , where m and n are relatively prime positive integers. Find m + n.

9. (Eugene Chen) The roots of the polynomial P (x) = x3 + 5x + 4 are r, s, and t. Evaluate
(r + s)4 (s + t)4 (t + r)4 .

10. (Eugene Chen) The edges and diagonals of convex pentagon ABCDE are all colored either
red or blue. How many ways are there to color the segments such that there is exactly one
monochromatic triangle with vertices among A, B, C, D, E; that is, triangles whose edges
are all the same color?

11. (Unknown) How many ordered pairs of positive integers (m, n) satisfy the system

gcd(m3 , n2 ) = 22 · 32 ,
LCM[m2 , n3 ] = 24 · 34 · 56 ,

where gcd(a, b) and LCM[a, b] denote the greatest common divisor and least common multiple
of a and b, respectively?

19
The NIMO Compendium 1. Summer 2011

12. (Lewis Chen) In triangle ABC, AB = 100, BC = 120, and CA = 140. Points D and F lie
on BC and AB, respectively, such that BD = 90 and AF = 60. Point E is an arbitrary
point on AC. Denote the intersection of BE and CF as K, the intersection of AD and CF
as L, and the intersection of AD and BE as M . If [KLM ] = [AM E] + [BKF ] + [CLD],
where [X] denotes the area of region X, compute CE.

13. (Lewis Chen) For real θi , i = 1, 2, . . . , 2011, find the maximum value of the expression

sin2012 θ1 cos2012 θ2 +sin2012 θ2 cos2012 θ3 +· · ·+sin2012 θ2010 cos2012 θ2011 +sin2012 θ2011 cos2012 θ1 .

14. (Eugene Chen) In circle ω1 with radius 1, circles φ1 , φ2 , . . . , φ8 , with equal radii, are drawn
such that for 1 ≤ i ≤ 8, φi is tangent to ω1 , φi−1 , and φi+1 , where φ0 = φ8 and φ1 = φ9 .
There exists a circle ω2 such that ω1 6= ω2 and ω2 is tangent to φi q for 1 ≤ i ≤ 8. The
√ p √ √
radius of ω2 can be expressed in the form a − b c − d e − f + g h − j k such that
a, b, . . . , k are positive integers and the numbers c, f, k, gcd(h, j) are squarefree. What is
a + b + c + d + e + f + g + h + j + k?

15. (Lewis Chen) Let

a1 X
2 X a2 aX
"2011 #
X 2010 Y
N= ··· an .
a1 =0 a2 =0 a3 =0 a2011 =0 n=1

Find the remainder when N is divided by 1000.

20
The NIMO Compendium 2. Summer 2012

2. Summer 2012
7:00 PM – 7:15 PM ET
1. (Eugene Chen) Let f (x) = (x4 + 2x3 + 4x2 + 2x + 1)5 . Compute the prime p satisfying
f (p) = 418,195,493.
2. (Isabella Grabski ) Compute the number of positive integers n satisfying the inequalities

2n−1 < 5n−3 < 3n .

3. (Lewis Chen) Let

2012
X
S= i!.
i=1
The tens and units digits of S (in decimal notation) are a and b, respectively. Compute
10a + b.
4. (Lewis Chen) The degree measures of the angles of nondegenerate hexagon ABCDEF are
integers that form a non-constant arithmetic sequence in some order, and ∠A is the smallest
angle of the (not necessarily convex) hexagon. Compute the sum of all possible degree
measures of ∠A.
5. (Aaron Lin) In the diagram below, three squares are inscribed in right triangles. Their areas
are A, M , and N , as indicated in the diagram. If M = 5 and N = 12, then A can be
√
expressed as a + b c, where a, b, and c are positive integers and c is not divisible by the
square of any prime. Compute a + b + c.

A
M

6. (Eugene Chen) When Eva counts, she skips all numbers containing a digit divisible by 3.
For example, the first ten numbers she counts are 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15. What is the
100th number she counts?
7. (Aaron Lin) A permutation (a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . , a2012 ) of (1, 2, 3, . . . , 2012) is selected at random.
If S is the expected value of
2012
X
|ai − i|,
i=1
then compute the sum of the prime factors of S.
8. (Aaron Lin) Points A, B, and O lie in the plane such that ]AOB = 120◦ . Circle ω0 with
−→ −−→
radius 6 is constructed tangent to both OA and OB. For all i ≥ 1, circle ωi with radius ri
−→ −−→
is constructed such that ri < ri−1 and ωi is tangent to OA, OB, and ωi−1 . If
∞
X
S= ri ,
i=1

21
The NIMO Compendium 2. Summer 2012

√
then S can be expressed as a b + c, where a, b, c are integers and b is not divisible by the
square of any prime. Compute 100a + 10b + c.

9. (Aaron Lin) A quadratic polynomial p(x) with integer coefficients satisfies p(41) = 42. For
some integers a, b > 41, p(a) = 13 and p(b) = 73. Compute the value of p(1).

10. (Lewis Chen) A triangulation of a polygon is a subdivision of the polygon into triangles
meeting edge to edge, with the property that the set of triangle vertices coincides with the
set of vertices of the polygon. Adam randomly selects a triangulation of a regular 180-gon.
Then, Bob selects one of the 178 triangles in this triangulation. The expected number of
1◦ angles in this triangle can be expressed as ab , where a and b are relatively prime positive
integers. Compute 100a + b.

11. (Lewis Chen) Let a and b be two positive integers satisfying the equation
√ √
20 12 = a b.

Compute the sum of all possible distinct products ab.

12. (Lewis Chen) The NEMO (National Electronic Math Olympiad) is similar to the NIMO
Summer Contest, in that there are fifteen problems, each worth a set number of points.
However, the NEMO is weighted using Fibonacci numbers; that is, the nth problem is worth
Fn points, where F1 = F2 = 1 and Fn = Fn−1 + Fn−2 for n ≥ 3. The two problem writers are
fair people, so they make sure that each of them is responsible for problems worth an equal
number of total points. Compute the number of ways problem writing assignments can be
distributed between the two writers.

13. (Evan Chen) For the NEMO, Kevin needs to compute the product

9 × 99 × 999 × · · · × 999999999.

Kevin takes exactly ab seconds to multiply an a-digit integer by a b-digit integer. Compute
the minimum number of seconds necessary for Kevin to evaluate the expression together by
performing eight such multiplications.

14. (Lewis Chen) A set of lattice points is called good if it does not contain two points that form
a line with slope −1 or slope 1. Let S = {(x, y) | x, y ∈ Z, 1 ≤ x, y ≤ 4}. Compute the
number of non-empty good subsets of S.

15. (Lewis Chen) In the diagram below, square ABCD with side length 23 is cut into nine
rectangles by two lines parallel to AB and two lines parallel to BC. The areas of four of
these rectangles are indicated in the diagram. Compute the largest possible value for the
area of the central rectangle.

A B
13

123 111

37
D C

22
The NIMO Compendium 3. Summer 2013

3. Summer 2013
5:00 PM – 5:15 PM ET
1. (Evan Chen) What is the maximum possible score on this contest? Recall that on the NIMO
2013 Summer Contest, problems 1, 2, . . . , 15 are worth 1, 2, . . . , 15 points, respectively.
2+4+6 1+3+5 m
2. (Evan Chen) If 1+3+5 − 2+4+6 = n for relatively prime integers m and n, compute 100m + n.

3. (Aaron Lin) Jacob and Aaron are playing a game in which Aaron is trying to guess the
outcome of an unfair coin which shows heads 23 of the time. Aaron randomly guesses “heads”
2 1
3 of the time, and guesses “tails” the other 3 of the time. If the probability that Aaron guesses
correctly is p, compute 9000p.

4. (Evan Chen) Find the sum of the real roots of the polynomial
100
Y
x2 − 11x + k = x2 − 11x + 1 x2 − 11x + 2 . . . x2 − 11x + 100 .

k=1

5. (Evan Chen) A point (a, b) in the plane is called sparkling if it also lies on the line ax+by = 1.
Find the maximum possible distance between two sparkling points.

6. (Lewis Chen) Let ABC and DEF be two triangles, such that AB = DE = 20, BC = EF =
13, and ∠A = ∠D. If AC − DF = 10, determine the area of 4ABC.

7. (Evan Chen) Circle ω1 and ω2 have centers (0, 6) and (20, 0), respectively. Both circles have
radius 30, and intersect at two points X and Y . The line through X and Y can be written
in the form y = mx + b. Compute 100m + b.

8. (Evan Chen) A pair of positive integers (m, n) is called compatible if m ≥ 12 n + 7 and

n ≥ 21 m + 7. A positive integer k ≥ 1 is called lonely if (k, `) is not compatible for any
integer ` ≥ 1. Find the sum of all lonely integers.

9. (Evan Chen) Compute 99(992 + 3) + 3 · 992 .

10. (Evan Chen) Let P (x) be the unique polynomial of degree four for which P (165) = 20, and

P (42) = P (69) = P (96) = P (123) = 13.

Compute P (1) − P (2) + P (3) − P (4) + · · · + P (165).

11. (Aaron Lin) Find 100m + n if m and n are relatively prime positive integers such that
X 1 m
= .
2i 3j n
i,j≥0
i+j odd

12. (Eugene Chen) In 4ABC, AB = 40, BC = 60, and CA = 50. The angle bisector of ∠A
intersects the circumcircle of 4ABC at A and P . Find BP .

13. (Lewis Chen) In trapezoid ABCD, AD k BC and ∠ABC + ∠CDA = 270◦ . Compute AB 2
given that AB · tan(∠BCD) = 20 and CD = 13.

14. (Evan Chen) Let p, q, and r be primes satisfying

pqr = 189999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999962.

Compute S(p) + S(q) + S(r) − S(pqr), where S(n) denote the sum of the decimals digits of
n.

23
The NIMO Compendium 3. Summer 2013

15. (Lewis Chen)

Ted quite likes haikus,
poems with five-seven-five,
but Ted knows few words.
He knows 2n words
that contain n syllables
for every int n.
Ted can only write
N distinct haikus. Find N .
Take mod one hundred.
Ted loves creating haikus (Japanese three-line poems with 5, 7, 5 syllables each), but his
vocabulary is rather limited. In particular, for integers 1 ≤ n ≤ 7, he knows 2n words with n
syllables. Furthermore, words cannot cross between lines, but may be repeated. If Ted can
make N distinct haikus, compute the remainder when N is divided by 100.

24
The NIMO Compendium 4. Summer 2014

4. Summer 2014
5:00 PM – 5:15 PM ET

1. (Evan Chen) Compute 1 + 2 · 34 .

2. (Evan Chen) How many 2×2×2 cubes must be added to a 8×8×8 cube to form a 12×12×12
cube?

3. (Evan Chen)
√ A square and equilateral triangle have the same perimeter. If the triangle has
area 16 3, what is the area of the square?

4. (Evan Chen) Let n be a positive integer. Determine the smallest possible value of 1 − n +
n2 − n3 + · · · + n1000 .

5. (Lewis Chen) We have a five-digit positive

integer N . We select every pair of digits of N
(and keep them in order) to obtain the 52 = 10 numbers 33, 37, 37, 37, 38, 73, 77, 78, 83,
87. Find N .

6. (Lewis Chen) Suppose x is a random real number between 1 and 4, and y is a random real
number between 1 and 9. If the expected value of

dlog2 xe − blog3 yc
m
can be expressed as n where m and n are relatively prime positive integers, compute 100m +
n.

7. (Evan Chen) Evaluate

9 9 9
1 XXX
(abc + ab + bc + ca + a + b + c) .
729
a=1 b=1 c=1

8. (Aaron Lin) Aaron takes a square sheet of paper, with one corner labeled A. Point P is
chosen at random inside of the square and Aaron folds the paper so that points A and P
coincide. He cuts the sheet along the crease and discards the piece containing A. Let p be
the probability that the remaining piece is a pentagon. Find the integer nearest to 100p.

9. (Lewis Chen) Two players play a game involving an n × n grid of chocolate. Each turn, a
player may either eat a piece of chocolate (of any size), or split an existing piece of chocolate
into two rectangles along a grid-line. The player who moves last loses. For how many positive
integers n less than 1000 does the second player win?
(Splitting a piece of chocolate refers to taking an a×b piece, and breaking it into an (a−c)×b
and a c × b piece, or an a × (b − d) and an a × d piece.)

10. (Evan Chen) Among 100 points in the plane, no three collinear, exactly 4026 pairs are
connected by line segments. Each point is then randomly assigned an integer from 1 to 100
inclusive, each equally likely, such that no integer appears more than once. Find the expected
value of the number of segments which join two points whose labels differ by at least 50.

11. (Evan Chen) Consider real numbers A, B, . . . , Z such that

5 6 7
EV IL = , LOV E = , and IM O = .
31 29 3
m
If OM O = n for relatively prime positive integers m and n, find the value of m + n.

25
The NIMO Compendium 4. Summer 2014

12. (Evan Chen) Find the sum of all positive integers n such that
2n + 1
n(n − 1)

has a terminating decimal representation.

13. (Lewis Chen) Let α and β be nonnegative integers. Suppose the number of strictly increasing
sequences of integers a0 , a1 , . . . , a2014 satisfying 0 ≤ am ≤ 3m is 2α (2β + 1). Find α.

14. (Evan Chen) Let ABC be a triangle with circumcenter O and let X, Y , Z be the midpoints
of arcs BAC, ABC, ACB on its circumcircle. Let G and I denote the centroid of 4XY Z
and the incenter of 4ABC.
GO m
Given that AB = 13, BC = 14, CA = 15, and GI = n for relatively prime positive integers
m and n, compute 100m + n.

15. (Lewis Chen) Let A = (0, 0), B = (−1, −1), C = (x, y), and D = (x + 1, y), where x > y are
positive integers. Suppose points A, B, C, D lie on a circle with radius r. Denote by r1 and
r2 the smallest and second smallest possible values of r. Compute r12 + r22 .

26
III. April Fun Round
1. April 2013
April 1, 2013

1. (George Xing, et al.) Find the value of 645.

2. (Evan Chen) At a certain school, the ratio of boys to girls is 1 : 3. Suppose that:
• Every boy has most 2013 distinct girlfriends.
• Every girl has at least n boyfriends.
• Friendship is mutual.
Compute the largest possible value of n.

3. (Evan Chen) Bored in an infinitely long class, Evan jots down a fraction whose numerator
and denominator are both 70-character strings, as follows:
loooloolloolloololllloloollollolllloollloloolooololooolololooooollllol
r= .
lolooloolollollolloooooloooloololloolllooollololoooollllooolollloloool
1
If o = 2013 and l = 50 , find drolle.

4. (Evan Chen) Let a, b, c be the answers to problems 4, 5, and 6, respectively. In 4ABC, the
measures of ∠A, ∠B, and ∠C are a, b, c in degrees, respectively. Let D and E be points
AD AE
on segments AB and AC with BD = CE = 2013. A point P is selected in the interior of
4ADE, with barycentric coordinates (x, y, z) with respect to 4ABC (here x + y + z = 1).
Lines BP and CP meet line DE at B1 and C1 , respectively. Suppose that the radical axis
of the circumcircles of 4P DC1 and 4P EB1 pass through point A. Find 100x.

5. (Evan Chen) Consider 4\[]. Let [], ]\ and \[ be the answers to problems 4, 5, and 6,
respectively. If the incircle of 4\[] touches \[ at , find [.

6. (Evan Chen) Let n and k be integers satisfying 2k

2 + n = 60. It is known that n days before
Evan’s 16th birthday, something happened. Compute 60 − n.

7. (Evan Chen and Lewis Chen) Let p be the largest prime less than 2013 for which
p+1 −13
N = 20 + pp

is also prime. Find the remainder when N is divided by 104 .

8. (Lewis Chen) A person flips 2010 coins at a time. He gains one penny every time he flips
a prime number of heads, but must stop once he flips a non-prime number. If his ex-
pected amount of money gained in dollars is ab , where a and b are relatively prime, compute
dlog2 (100a + b)e.

9. (Evan Chen) Haddaway once asked, “what is love?”. The answer can be written in the form
m 2 2
n , where m and n are positive integers such that m + n < 2013. Find 100m + n.

27
The NIMO Compendium 1. April 2013

10. (Evan Chen) There exist primes p and q such that

pq = 1208925819614629174706176 × 24404 − 4503599560261633 × 134217730 × 22202 + 1.

Find the remainder when p + q is divided by 1000.

11. (Evan Chen, Eugene Chen, Lewis Chen) http://goo.gl/wVR25

12. (Evan Chen, LewisP Chen) IfnXi is the answer to problem i for 1 ≤ i ≤ 12, find the minimum
possible value of 12
n=1 (−1) Xn .

28
The NIMO Compendium 2. April 2014

2. April 2014
April 1, 2014

1. (Evan Chen) Binary Sudoku (2 points)

How many ways are there to fill the 2 × 2 grid below with 0’s and 1’s such that no row or
column has duplicate entries?

2. (Evan Chen) Angry and Hungry (3 points)

I’m thinking of a five-letter word that rhymes with “angry” and “hungry”. What is it?

3. (Evan Chen) Engineer’s Induction (5 points)

4. (Evan Chen) Do You Even Lift the Exponent? (7 points)

Let n be largest number such that

2014100! − 2011100!
3n
is still an integer. Compute the remainder when 3n is divided by 1000.

5. (Evan Chen) Triangle Centers (11 points)

Let ABC be a triangle with AB = 130, BC = 140, CA = 150. Let G, H, I, O, N , K, L
be the centroid, orthocenter, incenter, circumenter, nine-point center, the symmedian point,
and the de Longchamps point. Let D, E, F be the feet of the altitudes of A, B, C on the
sides BC, CA, AB. Let X, Y , Z be the A, B, C excenters and let U , V , W denote the
midpoints of IX, IY , IZ (i.e. the midpoints of the arcs of (ABC).) Let R, S, T denote
the isogonal conjugates of the midpoints of AD, BE, CF . Let P and Q denote the images
of G and H under an inversion around the circumcircle of ABC followed by a dilation at
O with factor 12 , and denote by M the midpoint of P Q. Then let J be a point such that
JKLM is a parallelogram. Find the perimeter of the convex hull of the self-intersecting
17-gon LET ST RADEBIT COIN S to the nearest integer. A diagram has been included
but may not be to scale.

6. (Evan Chen) Chinese Remainder Theorem (13 points)

29
The NIMO Compendium 2. April 2014

We know Z210 ∼
= Z2 × Z3 × Z5 × Z7 . Moreover,
53 ≡ 1 (mod 2)
53 ≡ 2 (mod 3)
53 ≡ 3 (mod 5)
53 ≡ 4 (mod 7).
Let  
53 158 53
M =  23 93 53  .
50 170 53
Based on the above, find (M mod 2)(M mod 3)(M mod 5)(M mod 7).
7. (Evan Chen) Foreign Language (17 points)
Evaluate the following:
http://internetolympiad.org/archive/2014/AprilFools/foreign_lang.txt.
8. (Evan Chen) Silver Cyanide (19 points)
Three of the below entries, with labels a, b, c, are blatantly incorrect (in the United States).
What is a2 + b2 + c2 ?
041. The Gentleman’s Alliance Cross
042. Glutamine (an amino acid)
051. Grant Nelson and Norris Windross
052. A compact region at the center of a galaxy
061. The value of ’wat’-1.1
062. Threonine (an amino acid)
071. Nintendo Gamecube
072. Methane and other gases are compressed
081. A prank or trick
082. Three carbons
091. Australia’s second largest local government area
092. Angoon Seaplane Base
101. A compressed archive file format
102. Momordica cochinchinensis
111. Gentaro Takahashi
112. Nat Geo
121. Ante Christum Natum
122. The supreme Siberian god of death
131. Gnu C Compiler
132. My TeX Shortcut for ∠.
9. (Evan Chen) Yaler Repus (23 points)
This is an ARML Super Relay! I’m sure you know how this works! You start from #1 and
#15 and meet in the middle. We are going to require you to solve all 15 problems, though –
so for the entire task, submit the sum of all the answers, rather than just the answer to #8.
Also, uhh, we can’t actually find the slip for #1. Sorry about that. Have fun anyways!
1
See https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/wat.

30
The NIMO Compendium 2. April 2014

2. Let T = TNYWR. Find the number of way to distribute 6 indistinguishable pieces of

candy to T hungry (and distinguishable) schoolchildren, such that each child gets at
most one piece of candy.
3. Let T = TNYWR. If d is the largest proper divisor of T , compute 12 d.
4. Let T = TNYWR and flip 4 fair coins. Suppose the probability that at most T heads
appear is m
n , where m and n are coprime positive integers. Compute m + n.
5. Let T = TNYWR. Compute the last digit of T T in base 10.
6. Let T = TNYWR and flip 6 fair coins. Suppose the probability that at most T heads
appear is m
n , where m and n are coprime positive integers. Compute m + n.
7. Let T = TNYWR. Compute the smallest prime p for which nT 6≡ n (mod p) for some
integer n.
8. Let M and N be the two answers received, with M ≤ N . Compute the number of
√
integer quadruples (w, x, y, z) with w + x + y + z = M wxyz and 1 ≤ w, x, y, z ≤ N .
9. Let T = TNYWR. Compute the smallest integer n with n ≥ 2 such that n is coprime
to T + 1, and there exists positive integers a, b, c with a2 + b2 + c2 = n(ab + bc + ca).
10. Let T = TNYWR and flip 10 fair coins. Suppose the probability that at most T heads
appear is m
n , where m and n are coprime positive integers. Compute m + n.
11. Let T = TNYWR. Compute the last digit of T T in base 10.
12. Let T = TNYWR and flip 12 fair coins. Suppose the probability that at most T heads
appear is m
n , where m and n are coprime positive integers. Compute m + n.
13. Let T = TNYWR. If d is the largest proper divisor of T , compute 12 d.
14. Let T = TNYWR. Compute the number of way to distribute 6 indistinguishable pieces
of candy to T hungry (and distinguishable) schoolchildren, such that each child gets at
most one piece of candy.
Also, we can’t find the slip for #15, either. We think the SFBA coaches stole it to prevent
us from winning the Super Relay, but that’s not going to stop us, is it? We have another
#15 slip that produces an equivalent answer. Here you go!
15. Let A, B, C be the answers to #8, #9, #10. Compute gcd(A, C) · B.

31
IV. Winter Olympiad
1. Winter Olympiad 2011
January 2011

1. A point (x, y) in the first quadrant lies on a line with intercepts (a, 0) and (0, b), with a, b > 0.
Rectangle M has vertices (0, 0), (x, 0), (x, y), and (0, y), while rectangle N has vertices (x, y),
(x, b), (a, b), and (a, y). What is the ratio of the area of M to that of N ?
(Eugene Chen)

2. Two sequences {ai } and {bi } are defined as follows: {ai } = 0, 3, 8, . . . , n2 − 1, . . . and {bi } =
2, 5, 10, . . . , n2 + 1, . . . . If both sequences are defined with i ranging across the natural
numbers, how many numbers belong to both sequences?
(Isabella Grabski)

3. Billy and Bobby are located at points A and B, respectively. They each walk directly toward
the other point at a constant rate; once the opposite point is reached, they immediately turn
around and walk back at the same rate. The first time they meet, they are located 3 units
from point A; the second time they meet, they are located 10 units from point B. Find all
possible values for the distance between A and B.
(Isabella Grabski)

4. In the following alpha-numeric puzzle, each letter represents a different non-zero digit. What
are all possible values for b + e + h?

a b c
d e f
+ g h i
1 6 6 5

(Eugene Chen)
√
5. We have eight light bulbs, placed on the eight lattice points in space that are 3 units away
from the origin. Each light bulb can either be turned on or off. These lightbulbs are unstable,
however. If two light bulbs that are at most 2 units apart are both on simultaneously, they
both explode. Given that no explosions take place, how many possible configurations of
on/off light bulbs exist?
(Lewis Chen)

6. Circle O with diameter AB has chord CD drawn such that AB is perpendicular to CD at

P . Another circle A is drawn, sharing chord CD. A point Q on minor arc CD of A is
chosen so that ]AQP + ]QP B = 60◦ . Line l is tangent to A through Q and a point X
on l is chosen such that P X = BX. If P Q = 13 and BQ = 35, find QX.
(Aaron Lin)

7. The number 2 + 296 ! has 293 trailing zeroes when expressed in base B.

a) Find the minimum possible B.

32
The NIMO Compendium 1. Winter Olympiad 2011

b) Find the maximum possible B.

c) Find the total number of possible B.
(Lewis Chen)

8. Define f (x) to be the nearest integer to x, with the greater integer chosen if two integers are
tied for being the nearest. For example, f (2.3) = 2, f (2.5) = 3, and f (2.7) = 3. Define [A]
to be the area of region A. Define region Rn , for each positive integer n, to be the region on
the Cartesian plane which satisfies the inequality f (|x|) + f (|y|) < n. We pick an arbitrary
point O on the perimeter of Rn , and mark every two units around the perimeter with another
point. Region SnO is defined by connecting these points in order.
a) Prove that the perimeter of Rn is always congruent to 4 (mod 8).
b) Prove that [SnO ] is constant for any O.
c) Prove that [Rn ] + [SnO ] = (2n − 1)2 .
(Lewis Chen)

33
The NIMO Compendium 2. Winter Olympiad 2012

2. Winter Olympiad 2012

January 2012

1. In a 10 by 10 grid of dots, what is the maximum number of lines that can be drawn connecting
two dots on the grid so that no two lines are parallel?
(Aaron Lin)

2. If r1 , r2 , and r3 are the solutions to the equation x3 − 5x2 + 6x − 1 = 0, then what is the
value of r12 + r22 + r23 ?
(Eugene Chen)

3. The expression ◦1 ◦ 2 ◦ 3 ◦ · · · ◦ 2012 is written on a blackboard. Catherine places a + sign or

a − sign into each blank. She then evaluates the expression, and finds the remainder when
it is divided by 2012. How many possible values are there for this remainder?
(Aaron Lin)

4. Parallel lines `1 and `2 are drawn in a plane. Points A1 , A2 , . . . , An are chosen on `1 , and
points B1 , B2 , . . . , Bn+1 are chosen on `2 . All segments Ai Bj are drawn, such that 1 ≤ i ≤ n
and 1 ≤ j ≤ n + 1. Let the number of total intersections between these segments (not
including endpoints) be denoted by Q. Given that no three segments are concurrent, besides
at endpoints, prove that Q is divisible by 3.
(Lewis Chen)

5. In convex hexagon ABCDEF , ∠A ∼ = ∠B, ∠C ∼ = ∠D, and ∠E ∼ = ∠F . Prove that the

perpendicular bisectors of AB, CD, and EF pass through a common point.
(Lewis Chen)

6. The positive numbers a, b, c satisfy 4abc(a+b+c) = (a+b)2 (a+c)2 . Prove that a(a+b+c) = bc.
(Aaron Lin)

7. For how many positive integers n ≤ 500 is n! divisible by 2n−2 ?

(Eugene Chen)

8. A convex 2012-gon A1 A2 A3 . . . A2012 has the property that for every integer 1 ≤ i ≤ 1006,
Ai Ai+1006 partitions the polygon into two congruent regions. Show that for every pair of
integers 1 ≤ j < k ≤ 1006, quadrilateral Aj Ak Aj+1006 Ak+1006 is a parallelogram.
(Lewis Chen)

34
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

3. Winter Olympiad 2013

March 2013

1. Find the remainder when 2 + 4 + · · · + 2014 is divided by 1 + 3 + · · · + 2013. Justify your

answer.
(Evan Chen)

2. Square S has vertices (1, 0), (0, 1), (−1, 0) and (0, −1). Points P and Q are independently se-
lected, uniformly at random, from the perimeter of S. Determine, with proof, the probability
that the slope of line P Q is positive.
(Isabella Grabski)

3. Let ABC be a triangle. Prove that there exists a unique point P for which one can find
points D, E and F such that the quadrilaterals AP BF , BP CD, CP AE, EP F A, F P DB,
and DP EC are all parallelograms.
(Lewis Chen)

4. Let F be the set of all 2013 × 2013 arrays whose entries are 0 and 1. A transformation
K : F → F is defined as follows: for each entry aij in an array A ∈ F, let Sij denote the
sum of all the entries of A sharing either a row or column (or both) with aij . Then aij is
replaced by the remainder when Sij is divided by two.
Prove that for any A ∈ F, K(A) = K(K(A)).
(Aaron Lin)

5. In convex hexagon AXBY CZ, sides AX, BY and CZ are parallel to diagonals BC, XC
and XY , respectively. Prove that 4ABC and 4XY Z have the same area.
(Evan Chen)

6. A strictly increasing sequence {xi }∞

i=1 of positive integers is said to be [i]large[/i] if, for every
real number L, there exists an integer n such that x11 + x12 + · · · + x1n > L. Do there exist
large sequences {ai }∞ ∞ ∞
i=1 and {bi }i=1 such that the sequence {ai + bi }i=1 is not large?
(Lewis Chen)

7. Let a, b, c be positive reals satisfying a3 + b3 + c3 + abc = 4. Prove that

(5a2 + bc)2 (5b2 + ca)2 (5c2 + ab)2 (a3 + b3 + c3 + 6)2

+ + ≥
(a + b)(a + c) (b + c)(b + a) (c + a)(c + b) a+b+c

and determine the cases of equality.

(Evan Chen)

8. For a finite set X define X Y

S(X) = x and P (x) = x.
x∈X x∈X

Let A and B be two finite sets of positive integers such that |A| = |B|, P (A) = P (B) and
S(A) 6= S(B). Suppose for any n ∈ A ∪ B and prime p dividing n, we have p36 | n and
p37 - n. Prove that
|S(A) − S(B)| > 1.9 · 106 .

(Evan Chen)

35
The NIMO Compendium 4. Winter Olympiad 2014

4. Winter Olympiad 2014

January 2014

1. Find, with proof, all real numbers x satisfying x = 2 (2 (2 (2 (2x − 1) − 1) − 1) − 1) − 1.

(Evan Chen)
2. Determine, with proof, the smallest positive integer c such that for any positive integer n,
the decimal representation of the number cn + 2014 has digits all less than 5.
(Evan Chen)
3. The numbers 1, 2, . . . , 10 are written on a √
board. Every minute, one can select three numbers
a, b, c on the board, erase them, and write a2 + b2 + c2 in their place. This process continues
until no more numbers can be erased. What is the largest possible number that can remain
on the board at this point?
(Evan Chen)
4. Prove that there exist integers a, b, c with 1 ≤ a < b < c ≤ 25 and

S(a6 + 2014) = S(b6 + 2014) = S(c6 + 2014)

where S(n) denotes the sum of the decimal digits of n.

(Evan Chen)
5. Let ABC be an acute triangle with orthocenter H and let M be the midpoint of BC. (The
orthocenter is the point at the intersection of the three altitudes.) Denote by ωB the circle
passing through B, H, and M , and denote by ωC the circle passing through C, H, and M .
Lines AB and AC meet ωB and ωC again at P and Q, respectively. Rays P H and QH meet
ωC and ωB again at R and S, respectively. Show that 4BRS and 4CRS have the same
area.
(Aaron Lin)
6. Let ϕ(k) denote the numbers of positive integers less than or equal to k and relatively prime
to k. Prove that for some positive integer n,
1
ϕ(2n − 1) + ϕ(2n + 1) < ϕ(2n).
1000
(Evan Chen)
7. Let ABC be a triangle and let Q be a point such that AB ⊥ QB and AC ⊥ QC. A circle
with center I is inscribed in 4ABC, and is tangent to BC, CA and AB at points D, E, and
F , respectively. If ray QI intersects EF at P , prove that DP ⊥ EF .
(Aaron Lin)
8. Define the function ξ : Z2 → Z by ξ(n, k) = 1 when n ≤ k and ξ(n, k) = −1 when n > k,
and construct the polynomial
1000
Y 1000
!
X
P (x1 , . . . , x1000 ) = ξ(n, k)xk .
n=1 k=1

(a) Determine the coefficient of x1 x2 . . . x1000 in P .

(b) Show that if x1 , x2 , . . . , x1000 ∈ {−1, 1} then P (x1 , x2 , . . . , x1000 ) = 0.
(Evan Chen)

36
 Part B.

Answers and Solutions

37
V. Monthly Contest
1. September 17, 2012
8:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET
(1) 25 (2) 6 (3) 2080 (4) 339 (5) 73 (6) 1676 (7) 220 (8) 243

2. October 17, 2012

8:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET
(1) 1987 (2) 260 (3) 401 (4) 273 (5) 124 (6) 230 (7) 16384 (8) 1091328

3. November 24, 2012

8:00 PM – 8:45 PM ET
(1) 270 (2) 504 (3) 60 (4) 9 (5) 132 (6) 764 (7) 307 (8) 10004 (9) 258 (10) 999

4. December 17, 2012

8:00 PM – 8:45 PM ET
(1) 1007 (2) 11 (3) 102 (4) 2013 (5) 109 (6) 1140 (7) 37 (8) 34783 (9) 1683 (10) 17524

5. January 24, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET
(1) 50 (2) 11 (3) 27 (4) 4052169 (5) 164 (6) 1866 (7) 5 (8) 23

6. February 24, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:45 PM ET
(1) 5 (2) 496 (3) 62 (4) 2013 (5) 210 (6) 611 (7) 103838 (8) 8 (9) 1806 (10) 16104

7. May 27, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET
(1) 768 (2) 84 (3) 1025 (4) 54 (5) 26

8. September 24, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET
(1) 40 (2) 39 (3) 136 (4) 36 (5) 40 (6) 702 (7) 304 (8) 336

38
The NIMO Compendium 9. November 2013

9. November 13, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET
(1) 1332 (2) 6039 (3) 1716 (4) 499500 (5) 38 (6) 300 (7) 34776 (8) 3290111

10. December 3, 2013

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET
(1) 1100 (2) 120 (3) 39515 (4) 369 (5) 203 (6) 40003 (7) 2021 (8) 4817

11. January 31, 2014

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET
(1) 9920 (2) 164 (3) 17 (4) 4532 (5) 5 (6) 332156 (7) 152 (8) 4899

12. February 24, 2014

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET
(1) 1007 (2) 80 (3) 82 (4) 106 (5) 3308 (6) 499499 (7) 598 (8) 70

13. March 24, 2014

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET
(1) 450 (2) 716 (3) 10000 (4) 1333 (5) 53 (6) 545 (7) 1006 (8) 237

14. May 15, 2014

8:00 PM – 8:40 PM ET
(1) 1000 (2) 167 (3) 3514 (4) 103 (5) 193 (6) 828 (7) 382 (8) 183

39
VI. Summer Contest
1. Summer 2011
6:00 PM – 6:15 PM ET
(1) 17 (2) 120 (3) 145 (4) 28 (5) 36 (6) 4 (7) 99 (8) 7 (9) 256 (10) 260 (11) 2 (12) 91 (13) 1005
(14) 31 (15) 95

2. Summer 2012
7:00 PM – 7:15 PM ET
(1) 2 (2) 5 (3) 13 (4) 24 (5) 36 (6) 120 (7) 2086 (8) 227 (9) 2842 (10) 185 (11) 840 (12) 256
(13) 870 (14) 1224 (15) 180

3. Summer 2013
5:00 PM – 5:15 PM ET
(1) 120 (2) 712 (3) 5000 (4) 330 (5) 2 (6) 126 (7) 303 (8) 91 (9) 999999 (10) 20 (11) 504 (12) 40
(13) 260 (14) 8 (15) 28

4. Summer 2014
5:00 PM – 5:15 PM ET
(1) 163 (2) 152 (3) 36 (4) 1 (5) 37837 (6) 1112 (7) 215 (8) 57 (9) 999 (10) 1037 (11) 579 (12) 52
(13) 10 (14) 104 (15) 2523

40
VII. April Fun Round
1. April 2013
April 1, 2013
(1) 645 (2) 671 (3) 1 (4) 69 (5) 45 (6) 66 (7) 1781 (8) 2017 (9) 629 (10) 358 (11) 80 (12) 1

2. April 2014
April 1, 2014
(1) 2 (2) 3 (3) 5 (4) 375 (5) 420 (6) 4097 (7) 54 (8) 21586 (9) 5656

41
VIII. Winter Olympiad
1. Winter Olympiad 2011
January 2011
1. A point (x, y) in the first quadrant lies on a line with intercepts (a, 0) and (0, b), with a, b > 0.
Rectangle M has vertices (0, 0), (x, 0), (x, y), and (0, y), while rectangle N has vertices (x, y),
(x, b), (a, b), and (a, y). What is the ratio of the area of M to that of N ?
(Eugene Chen)

Solution. Throughout this solution the area of region < will be denoted by [<].
Let O = (0, 0), A = (a, 0), B = (0, b), C = (a, b), X = (x, 0), Y = (0, y), X 0 = (x, b),
Y 0 = (a, y), and Z = (x, y). It follows that [M ] = [OXZY ] = xy. Because 4AXZ ∼ 4AOB,
we know
AX AO AX a ay
= =⇒ = =⇒ AX =
XZ OB y b b
bx
and similarly BY = .
a
But AX = ZY 0 and BY = ZX 0 so
ay bx
[N ] = [ZY 0 CX 0 ] = ZX 0 · ZY 0 = · = xy = [M ].
b a
[M ]
Hence, = 1.
[N ]

2. Two sequences {ai } and {bi } are defined as follows: {ai } = 0, 3, 8, . . . , n2 − 1, . . . and {bi } =
2, 5, 10, . . . , n2 + 1, . . . . If both sequences are defined with i ranging across the natural
numbers, how many numbers belong to both sequences?
(Isabella Grabski)

Solution. If there are common members of the sequences, there exist natural numbers k
and l such that
k 2 − 1 = l2 + 1.
This may be rewritten as
k 2 − l2 = 2
(k + l)(k − l) = 2.
Because k and l are natural numbers, it follows that k + l = 2. But then k − l = 1, yielding
3
k = , a contradiction. Hence, no numbers are members of both sequences.
2
3. Billy and Bobby are located at points A and B, respectively. They each walk directly toward
the other point at a constant rate; once the opposite point is reached, they immediately turn
around and walk back at the same rate. The first time they meet, they are located 3 units
from point A; the second time they meet, they are located 10 units from point B. Find all
possible values for the distance between A and B.
(Isabella Grabski)

42
The NIMO Compendium 1. Winter Olympiad 2011

Solution. Let X be the first meeting point and Y the second. Denote the distance AB by x.
Billy and Bobby can meet at at most one point before they reach the point they are traveling
to. However, the distance between A and B depends on when they reach the opposite end.
We proceed with casework.
Case 1: Billy and Bobby reach B and A, respectively, before meeting for a second time.
In this case, Billy travels AX before meeting for the first time while Bobby walks XB. Before
they meet for a second time, Billy walks XB + BY and Bobby walks XA + AY in the same
time. Because they walk at constant rates, we have:
AX XB + BY
=
XB XA + AY
3 x − 3 + 10
=
x−3 3 + x − 10
Solving this, we find x = 0 or x = −1, neither of which can be walking distances in this
problem. So there are no solutions in this case.
Case 2: Billy reaches point B first and meets Bobby at point Y before Bobby reaches A.
In a similar fashion, we find x = −12 or x = 5. However, −12 is negative, and 5 is less than
10, so neither can be possible total lengths of the path.

Case 3: Bobby reaches point A first and meets Billy at point Y before Billy reaches B.
This yields x = 4 or x = 15. Because 4 < 10, the path cannot be 4 units long.
Thus, the only possible length of the path is 15 units.

4. In the following alpha-numeric puzzle, each letter represents a different non-zero digit. What
are all possible values for b + e + h?

a b c
d e f
+ g h i
1 6 6 5

(Eugene Chen)

Solution. We can rewrite the equation as

100(a + d + g) + 10(b + e + h) + (c + f + i) = 1665.

Because 100(a + d + g) and 10(b + e + h) have units digit 0, it follows that c + f + i has units
digit 5. But

c + f + i ≥ 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 > 5,
c + f + i ≤ 7 + 8 + 9 = 24 < 25,

so c + f + i = 15. We can again rewrite the equation as

100(a + d + g) + 10(b + e + h) = 1650

10(a + d + g) + (b + e + h) = 165.

Because 10(a + d + g) has units digit 0, it follows that b + e + h has units digit 5. By the
same logic as above, we obtain b + e + h = 15.
It remains to show that b + e + h = 15 is achievable. But this may be achieved by setting
a = 1, b = 2, c = 4, d = 5, e = 6, f = 3, g = 9, h = 7, i = 8. Hence, the only possible value for
b + e + h is 15 .

43
The NIMO Compendium 1. Winter Olympiad 2011

√
5. We have eight light bulbs, placed on the eight lattice points in space that are 3 units away
from the origin. Each light bulb can either be turned on or off. These lightbulbs are unstable,
however. If two light bulbs that are at most 2 units apart are both on simultaneously, they
both explode. Given that no explosions take place, how many possible configurations of
on/off light bulbs exist?
(Lewis Chen)

Solution. The lightbulbs are located at the points (±1, ±1, ±1) which determine a cube.
Note that a configuration will explode only if both lightbulbs on an edge are simultaneously
on.

We proceed by casework on the number of lightbulbs on.

If 0 lightbulbs are on then there is only 1 configuration of the lightbulbs, which indeed
satisfies the conditions of the problem.

If 1 lightbulb is on, then there are 8 configurations of the lightbulbs, all of which satisfy
the conditions of the problem.
 
8
If 2 lightbulbs are on, then there are = 28 configurations of the lightbulbs. How-
2
ever, if both endpoints of an edge are lit then the configuration is not satisfactory so there
are 28 − 12 = 16 solutions for this case.

To count the number of configurations where 3 lightbulbs are on, first choose a lightbulb
to be lit. Notice that if the opposite lightbulb is lit, then no more can be lit; hence, the
opposite lightbulb is not lit. Additionally, no lightbulbs that share an edge with the original
lightbulb can be lit. So there are 3 lightbulbs
  left to choose from, and each choice of 2
3
from these 3 satisfies the conditions, for = 3 solutions. But the original lightbulb can
2
be chosen in 8 ways, and each case is counted three times (once for each lightbulb as the
8
starting point), so the number of configurations from this case is 3 · = 8.
3
We count the ways for four lightbulbs  to 
be on in the same way as the previous case. After
3 8
choosing a starting lightbulb, there is = 1 way to light the rest, for a total of 1 · = 2
3 4
configurations.

In total, there are 1 + 8 + 16 + 8 + 2 = 35 configurations.

6. Circle O with diameter AB has chord CD drawn such that AB is perpendicular to CD at

P . Another circle A is drawn, sharing chord CD. A point Q on minor arc CD of A is
chosen so that ]AQP + ]QP B = 60◦ . Line l is tangent to A through Q and a point X
on l is chosen such that P X = BX. If P Q = 13 and BQ = 35, find QX.
(Aaron Lin)

Solution. Note that 4ACB is a right triangle, so CP is the geometric mean of BP and
AP . Thus, by the Pythagorean Theorem,

AC 2 = CP 2 + AP 2 = (AP · BP ) + AP 2 = AP (BP + AP ) = AP · AB.

Because AC = AQ it follows that AQ2 = AP · AB. Thus, AQ is tangent to the circum-

circle of 4BQP . Since line l is perpendicular to AQ through Q, l must pass through the

44
The NIMO Compendium 1. Winter Olympiad 2011

circumcenter of 4BQP . Hence, X, which is equidistant from points B and P , must be the
circumcenter of 4BQP .

Furthermore, the equation AP 2 = AP · AB implies that 4AP Q ∼ 4AQB, so ∠AQP ∼=

∠ABQ ∼ = ∠P BQ. Thus, m∠AQP + m∠BP Q = m∠P BQ + m∠BP Q = 60◦ , so m∠BQP =
120◦ . From the Law of Cosines it follows that BP = 43. By the Law of Sines,
BP 43
QX = =√
2 sin ∠BQP 3
√
43 3
Hence QX = .
3

35
13
A B
P

7. The number 2 + 296 ! has 293 trailing zeroes when expressed in base B.

a) Find the minimum possible B.

b) Find the maximum possible B.
c) Find the total number of possible B.
(Lewis Chen)

Solution. Definition: The method of finding the number of trailing zeroes of N ! in prime
base p is as follows: $j k%
 N 
 j k   p 
   N   p 
N  p   
+ +  + ....
p p  p 
 

Lemma. 3a divides (2 + 2a)! if and only if 2 + 2a = 3m + 3n for some integer m, n.

Proof: Note that

∞   ∞
X 2a + 2 X 2a + 2
a≤ < = a + 1.
3i 3i
i=1 i=1

45
The NIMO Compendium 1. Winter Olympiad 2011

Thus,
∞  
X 2a + 2
= 1.
3i
i=1
Write
∞
X
2a + 2 = dk 3k , dk ∈ {0, 1, 2}
k=0
so
∞  P∞ k ∞ Pi−1 k
k=0 dk 3 k=0 dk 3
X X
= =1
3i 3i
i=1 i=1
or
∞ X
∞ ∞
X dk 3k X dk
i
= = 1.
3 2
k=0 i=k+1 k=0

Thus, 2a + 2 = 3m+ 3n ,
as desired.
In base 2, 2 + 296 !, when written in base 2, has exactly

1 + 295 + 294 + 293 + · · · + 22 + 21 + 20 = 296

96
trailing zeroes. Hence, when written in base 28 = 256, there are exactly 28 = 293 zeroes.
In base p ≥ 11, there are:
j k
 96
  2+296     
2+2 p 96

1 1 1 96

1
< 293
 
+   +··· ≤ 2 + 2 + + + ... = 2 + 2
p p 11 112 113 10

trailing zeroes. Hence, the maximum possible prime divisor of the base is 7.
In base 7, there are
j k
 96
  2+296     
2+2 7 96

1 1 1 96

1
< 294 ,
 
+  + ··· ≤ 2 + 2 + + + ... ≤ 2 + 2
7 7 7 72 73 6

so the maximum prime power of 7 is 1. To prove that this is indeed the maximum, notice
that
 $ j 96 k % 
 2+2 
 j 96 k   7 
2+2 7
96 2 + 296 2 + 296 296
       
2+2 7
= 293 .
   
+   +
  + · · · > > − 1 >
7 7  7 
 7 7 8

Similarly, the maximum prime power of 5 is 1. The prime power of 3 can be 3. To see that
it cannot be 4, note that:
2 + 296 ≡ 3 (mod 9).
From the lemma, 2 + 296 = 3a + 3b ≡ 3 (mod 9), so exactly one of a, b equals 3. But then
296 − 1 = 3a , but 23 − 1 = 7 divides 296 − 1, a contradiction. Hence, the maximum prime
power of 3 is 3.
In base B = pe11 pe22 . . . pekk , note that 2 + 296 ! has exactly

  $ j 96 k %  
  2+2  

   j k   pi  
96
   2+2   pi 
 1 2 + 296
    
 pi    
min  
  +   +

 + . . . 
  
   ei pi pi  pi  

 

 

46
The NIMO Compendium 1. Winter Olympiad 2011

trailing zeroes. Since this must equal exactly 293 , and the value for pi = 3, 5, 7 cannot equal
exactly 293 , B must divide 28 exactly. We can then choose a nonnegative integer at most the
maximum for each of the other prime bases.
It follows that the answers are:
a) 28 = 256
b) 28 · 33 · 51 · 71 = 241920
c) (3 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 16

8. Define f (x) to be the nearest integer to x, with the greater integer chosen if two integers are
tied for being the nearest. For example, f (2.3) = 2, f (2.5) = 3, and f (2.7) = 3. Define [A]
to be the area of region A. Define region Rn , for each positive integer n, to be the region on
the Cartesian plane which satisfies the inequality f (|x|) + f (|y|) < n. We pick an arbitrary
point O on the perimeter of Rn , and mark every two units around the perimeter with another
point. Region SnO is defined by connecting these points in order.
a) Prove that the perimeter of Rn is always congruent to 4 (mod 8).
b) Prove that [SnO ] is constant for any O.
c) Prove that [Rn ] + [SnO ] = (2n − 1)2 .
(Lewis Chen)

Solution. By graphing out the given function in the problem, the function traces out a
polygon composed of the union of all unit squares with centers of at most n − 1 rectilinear
distance from the origin. In particular, it creates a polygon with all sides of length 1, at right
angles with each other and to the coordinate axes, as shown:

and so on.
a) Taking the projection to either the x-axis or y-axis, we get a length of 2n − 1. Since
all sides are orthogonal to the coordinate axes, every length contributes either 0 or 1
to this amount. Since we can take the projection to the left, right, top, or bottom, the
perimeter is (1)(4)(2n − 1) + 8n − 4 ≡ 4 (mod 8).
b) Since all sides are at either right angles or reflex right angles to each other, the sides
alternate from parallel to perpendicular to the x-axis. Therefore, by marking every
two units around, we select every other side, so we pick either all the parallel or all
the perpendicular sides. Note that if we rotate the diagram by 90 degrees around the
origin, we map the parallel sides to the perpendicular sides, so we may assume WLOG
that point O lies on a segment parallel to the x-axis. Above the line y = 0, it forms
an isosceles right triangle with height of n − 1 to the hypotenuse; similarly, below the
line y = 0 it forms a right triangle with height of n − 1. Joining the two forms a
parallelogram with a constant base and constant height, so the area [SnO ] is invariant.
c) We compute the area of Rn first: a straightforward computation yields [Rn ] = 2(n −
1)2 + 2(n − 1) = 2n2 − 2n. Additionally, [SnO ] = n2 + (n − 1)2 = 2n2 − 2n + 1, so
[Rn ] + [SnO ] = 4n2 − 4n + 1 = (2n − 1)2 , as claimed.

47
The NIMO Compendium 2. Winter Olympiad 2012

2. Winter Olympiad 2012

January 2012

1. In a 10 by 10 grid of dots, what is the maximum number of lines that can be drawn connecting
two dots on the grid so that no two lines are parallel?
(Aaron Lin)

Solution. We are looking for the total number of distinct slopes of the lines connecting two
points on the grid. This is equal to twice the number of positive slopes, plus two (to account
for vertical and horizontal lines).

∆y
Because slope is equal to ∆x , all positive slopes can be written in the form ab for 1 ≤ a, b ≤ 9.
Each ordered pair (a, b) produces a distinct slope unless gcd(a, b) > 1. By listing, we find
that there are 55 distinct positive slopes. Thus, there are a total of 2(55)+ 2 = 112 different
slopes, and thus a maximum of 112 non-parallel lines can be drawn.

2. If r1 , r2 , and r3 are the solutions to the equation x3 − 5x2 + 6x − 1 = 0, then what is the
value of r12 + r22 + r23 ?
(Eugene Chen)

Solution. By Vieta’s Formulas, r1 +r2 +r3 = 5 and r1 r2 +r2 r3 +r3 r1 = 6. Thus, r12 +r22 +r32 =
(r1 + r2 + r3 )2 − 2(r1 r2 + r2 r3 + r3 r1 ) = 52 − 2(6) = 13 .

3. The expression ◦1 ◦ 2 ◦ 3 ◦ · · · ◦ 2012 is written on a blackboard. Catherine places a + sign or

a − sign into each blank. She then evaluates the expression, and finds the remainder when
it is divided by 2012. How many possible values are there for this remainder?
(Aaron Lin)

Solution. Regardless of sign, each odd number contributes an odd amount to the sum and
each even number contributes an even amount to the sum. Because there are 1006 odd
numbers, the expression must evaluate to an even number, so all odd remainders cannot be
achieved.

Now, we show that each even number can be achieved. For all 1 ≤ i ≤ 1006, take the sum
1 + 2 + 3 + · · · + (i − 1) − i + (i + 1) + · · · + 2012. This sum is equal to 2012·2013
2 − 2i ≡ 1006 − 2i
(mod 2012). But 503 − i takes all values from 1 to 1006 modulo 1006 for 1 ≤ i ≤ 1006, so
1006 − 2i takes on all even values modulo 2012. Hence, all even remainders can be achieved,
so the answer is 1006 .

4. Parallel lines `1 and `2 are drawn in a plane. Points A1 , A2 , . . . , An are chosen on `1 , and
points B1 , B2 , . . . , Bn+1 are chosen on `2 . All segments Ai Bj are drawn, such that 1 ≤ i ≤ n
and 1 ≤ j ≤ n + 1. Let the number of total intersections between these segments (not
including endpoints) be denoted by Q. Given that no three segments are concurrent, besides
at endpoints, prove that Q is divisible by 3.
(Lewis Chen)

Solution. Each set of four points Aa Ab Bc Bd defines exactly one intersection point,
and

each
intersection point is defined by a set of four points Aa Ab Bc Bd . Thus, there are n2 n+1
2 total
2
intersections between these segments. This is equal to (n−1)n4 (n+1) . Because n − 1, n, n + 1
are three consecutive integers, one of them must be divisible by 3. It follows that Q =
(n−1)n2 (n+1)
4 is divisible by 3.

48
The NIMO Compendium 2. Winter Olympiad 2012

5. In convex hexagon ABCDEF , ∠A ∼ = ∠B, ∠C ∼ = ∠D, and ∠E ∼ = ∠F . Prove that the

perpendicular bisectors of AB, CD, and EF pass through a common point.
(Lewis Chen)

Solution. Assume AF , BC, and DE are pairwise nonparallel. Denote the intersection of
←→ ←→ ←→ ←→ ←→
AF and BC by X, the intersection of BC and DE by Y , and the intersection of DE and
←→
AF by Z. Because ∠A ∼ = ∠B, it follows that ∠XAB ∼ = ∠XBA and thus 4XAB is isosceles.
Then, the perpendicular bisector of AB is the angle bisector of ∠AXB = ∠ZXY . Similarly,
the perpendicular bisectors of CD and EF are the angle bisectors of ∠XY Z and ∠Y ZX,
respectively. The angle bisectors of ∠ZXY , ∠XY Z, and ∠Y ZX are concurrent at the incen-
ter of 4XY Z, so the perpendicular bisectors of AB, CD, and EF are concurrent in this case.

If two of the sides are parallel, then assume, without loss of generality, that AF k BC. Define
Y and Z as they were defined in the previous part. Because AZ k BY , quadrilateral ABY Z
is a trapezoid. Again, the perpendicular bisectors of CD and EF are the angle bisectors of
∠BY Z and ∠Y ZA, respectively. Denote by P the midpoint of Y Z and by Q the intersection
of the angle bisectors of ∠BY Z and ∠Y ZA. Now, because m∠AZY + m∠BY Z = 180◦ , we
have m∠QZY + m∠QY Z = 90◦ , from which ∠Y QZ is right. It follows that Q lies on the
circle with diameter Y Z, so P Y = P Z = P Q. Thus, ∠P QY ∼ = ∠QY P , and because Y Q
bisects ∠BY Z, we have ∠P QY ∼ = ∠BY Q. Hence, P Q k BY . Because P is the midpoint
of Y Z, P Q must be the midline of trapezoid ABY Z. But the perpendicular bisector of AB
is also the midline of trapezoid ABY Z, so Q lies on the perpendicular bisector of AB as
desired.

6. The positive numbers a, b, c satisfy 4abc(a+b+c) = (a+b)2 (a+c)2 . Prove that a(a+b+c) = bc.
(Aaron Lin)

Solution. Let x = a(a + b + c) and y = bc. Then, x + y = (a + b)(a + c). The given equation
implies:

4xy = (x + y)2
x2 − 2xy + y 2 = 0
(x − y)2 = 0
x = y.

Thus, a(a + b + c) = bc as desired.

7. For how many positive integers n ≤ 500 is n! divisible by 2n−2 ?

(Eugene Chen)

n−s (n)
p
Solution. By Legendre’s Theorem, vp (n!) = p−1 , where p is a prime, vp (n) is the expo-
nent of the prime p that divides n, and sp (n) is the sum of the digits of n when written in
base p.

Choosing p = 2 yields v2 (n!) = n − s2 (n). The given condition holds iff v2 (n!) = n − s2 (n) ≥
n − 2, or s2 (n) ≤ 2. Thus, the sum of the digits of n in base 2 is 1 or 2. There are 9 positive
integers n not greater than 500 such that the sum of the digits in the binary representation
of n is 1, and 36 positive integers n not greater than 500 such that the sum of the digits in
the binary representation of n is 2. The answer is 9 + 36 = 45 .

49
The NIMO Compendium 2. Winter Olympiad 2012

The answers 44 and 45 were both accepted for this problem, as the case n = 1 can be argued
to be either valid or invalid.

8. A convex 2012-gon A1 A2 A3 . . . A2012 has the property that for every integer 1 ≤ i ≤ 1006,
Ai Ai+1006 partitions the polygon into two congruent regions. Show that for every pair of
integers 1 ≤ j < k ≤ 1006, quadrilateral Aj Ak Aj+1006 Ak+1006 is a parallelogram.
(Lewis Chen)

Solution.
Lemma. ∠Ai−1 Ai Ai+1 ∼
= ∠Ai+1005 Ai+1006 Ai+1007 .

Proof. Consider the partition through Ai+503 Ai+1509 . Regardless of whether the two resul-
tant polygons are rotations or reflections of each other, ∠Ai−1 Ai Ai+1 and ∠Ai+1005 Ai+1006 Ai+1007
are opposite Ai+503 Ai+1509 , because if it is a reflection, then ∠Ai−1 Ai Ai+1 ∼
= ∠Ai+1007 Ai+1006 Ai+1005 ,
and if it is a rotation, then ∠Ai−1 Ai Ai+1 ∼ = m < Ai+1005 Ai+1006 Ai+1007 .

Lemma. Ai Ai+1 = Ai+1006 Ai+1007 .

Proof. For the sake of contradiction, suppose the contrary; that is, suppose that Ai Ai+1 6=
Ai+1006 Ai+1007 . Then, consider the partitioning line Ai+1 Ai+1007 . It follows that the two
resultant polygons must be reflections of each other, because our assumption is contradicted
if they are rotations. Thus, Ai Ai+1 = Ai+1 Ai+2 , and Ai+1006 Ai+1007 = Ai+1007 Ai+1008 . In
particular, Ai+1 Ai+2 6= Ai+1007 Ai+1008 .
In general, from Ak Ak+1 6= Ak+1006 Ak+1007 , consider the partitioning line Ak+1 Ak+1007 to
conclude that Ak Ak+1 = Ak+1 Ak+2 , Ak+1006 Ak+1007 = Ak+1007 Ak+1008 , and thus Ak+1 Ak+2 6=
Ak+1007 Ak+1008 .
After repeating this argument 1006 times, we may conclude that Ai Ai+1 = Ai+1 Ai+2 =
Ai+2 Ai+3 = · · · = Ai+1006 A1007 , contradicting our assumption. Hence, the initial assumption
must be false, and the lemma must be true.

Lemma. Ai Aj = Ai+1006 Aj+1006 .

Proof. Consider the polygons Ai Ai+1 Ai+2 . . . Aj and Ai+1006 Ai+1007 Ai+1008 . . . Aj+1006 . By
Lemma 2, they share at least all but one congruent corresponding side length. By Lemma 1,
they share all congruent corresponding angles. Hence, they are congruent polygons, so the
lemma is true.

By Lemma 3, Ai Aj = Ai+1006 Aj+1006 and Aj Ai+1006 = Aj+1006 Ai , so Ai Aj Ai+1006 Aj+1006 is

a parallelogram, as desired.

50
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

3. Winter Olympiad 2013

March 2013

1. Find the remainder when 2 + 4 + · · · + 2014 is divided by 1 + 3 + · · · + 2013. Justify your

answer.
(Evan Chen)

Solution. Let A = 2 + 4 + · · · + 2014 and B = 1 + 3 + · · · + 2013. Then

A − B = |1 + 1 +
{z· · · + 1} = 1007.
1007 10 s

Other solutions may explicitly compute A = 1007 · 1008 and B = 10072 to arrive at the same
conclusion.
5 points for any valid method or approach. Decent attempts may
earn 2 points.

Since B > 1007, the remainder is 1007.

2 points for the numerical answer.

Remark. A good solution should make the remark that B > 1007;
however, a solution which does not mention this will not be penalized. The
possible marks for this approach are 0, 2, 5, 7.

2. Square S has vertices (1, 0), (0, 1), (−1, 0) and (0, −1). Points P and Q are independently se-
lected, uniformly at random, from the perimeter of S. Determine, with proof, the probability
that the slope of line P Q is positive.
(Isabella Grabski)

Solution 1. The answer is 21 .

1 point for a correct numerical answer.

Let A = (1, 0), B = (0, 1), C = (−1, 0) and D = (0, −1). Consider a point P ∈ CD (the
other cases are analogous). We claim that even for a fixed P , the probability is 12 .

1 point for this claim.

Let Px be the point on AD with P Px parallel to the x-axis, and define Py analogously. Then
it is easy to see that the region where Q can lie is precisely the polygonal line Py BAPx .

4 points for defining Px and Py and finding the locus of Q. Serious

but unsuccessful attempts to use points Px and Py will be awarded
1 point.

Since Py C = P C = Px A, it easy to see that the desired region is precisely one-half the
perimeter of S. Hence the claim holds, and the answer is therefore 21 .

1 point for this finishing touch.

51
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

y
B

Py
C A
x
P Px

Figure VIII.1.: Desired region for problem 2, highlighted in red.

Remark. In grading this approach, we have the rules 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 + 1 +

1 + 1 = 2. Basically, if the locus Q is not successfully found in this approach,
at most 2 points will be given. A score of 4 is strictly possible but seems
extremely rare. The possible marks for this approach are 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 7.

Solution 2. We will show the answer is 12 .

1 point for the correct numerical answer.

Remark that the probability that a line has either undefined or zero slope is 0. Therefore it
suffices to consider lines with either positive or negative slopes.

1 point for this remark.

Notice that by reflecting a line P Q over the x-axis we obtain a line P 0 Q0 whose slope is the
negative of line P Q. We may ignore the cases where the slope is 0 or not defined. Hence, by
symmetry, the answer is 21 .

5 points for finishing.

Remark. The possible marks for this approach are 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 7.

Note: It’s important to note (although no points will be deducted for failing to do so) that
symmetry is very different from having a 1−1 correspondence. The real importance is to note
that reflection preserves the length of segments; it is not sufficient to find a bijection from
lines with positive slope to lines with negative slope, because the sets involved are infinite.

52
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

For the sake of example, consider the problem:

x is chosen randomly in the interval [0, 1). What is the probability that x ≤ 13 ?
It is easy to construct a bijection between 0, 13 and 13 , 1 ; namely, x 7→ 2x + 13 . But this



certainly does not imply the answer is 12 !

When we say we pick a point “uniformly and at random from the perimeter of S”, this is
equivalent to saying that the probability a point is selected from some interval is proportional
to the length of that interval. That’s why the length-preserving property (which may be
expressed more perversely as just “symmetry”) plays a crucial role in this problem.

3. Let ABC be a triangle. Prove that there exists a unique point P for which one can find
points D, E and F such that the quadrilaterals AP BF , BP CD, CP AE, EP F A, F P DB,
and DP EC are all parallelograms.
(Lewis Chen)

F E

B C

Figure VIII.2.: Parallelograms

Solution. We claim that the centroid of 4ABC is the unique point with the property.

A generous 2 points for this claim. (It may be given implicitly

later.)

First, suppose P , D, E, F have the desired property. Clearly, CP k BD and F P k P D.

This implies that C, P, F are collinear. Similarly, A, P, D and B, P, E are collinear.

2 points for this observation.

Now, F P bisects AB because AP BF is a parallelogram. Hence CP is a median of 4ABC.

Similarly, AP and BP are medians, so P must be the centroid of 4ABC.

2 points for this observation.

Conversely, if P is the centroid, then select D, E, F to be the reflections of P over the

midpoints of sides BC, CA, AB; this forces AP BF , BP CD and CP AE to be parallelograms.
Then BP k F A and CP k EA, so AF P E is a parallelogram. Similarly, BDP F and CEP D
are parallelograms, as desired.

53
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

1 point for this direction.

Remark. If a solution begins by assuming P is the centroid, but fails

to verify P is unique, it may still earn points for the correct observations.
Basically, because both directions are essentially the same in the synthetic
solution, a complete proof of one direction earns 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 points.
Completing the other direction earns the last point. The possible marks for
this approach are 0, 2, 4, 6, 7.

Solution 2. The solution is by vectors. Note the W XY Z is a parallelogram if and only if

−
→ → − →
− → −
W + Y = X + Z.

1 point for any serious attempt to use vectors/analytic methods.

→
− →
− → − → −
The condition is equivalent to finding P for which there exists D , E , F such that
→
− →− →
− →−
A+B =P +F
→
− →− →
− →−
B+C = P +D
→
− →− →
− →−
C +A =P +E
→
− →− →
− →−
E+F =P +A
→
− →− →
− →−
F +E =P +B
→
− →− →
− →−
D+D= P +C

1 point for obtaining this system of equations.

Adding twice the sum of the first three equations with the following three, we obtain that
→
− →
− →
−
→
− A+B+C
P =
3
i.e. P is the centroid of 4ABC.

4 points for solving for deriving that P is the centroid (or just
showing the explicit form above).

It is easy to verify this works.

1 point for this last remark.

Remark. It seems difficult to reach later stages of this solution without

previous results. The possible marks for this approach are 0, 1, 2, 6, 7.

54
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

4. Let F be the set of all 2013 × 2013 arrays whose entries are 0 and 1. A transformation
K : F → F is defined as follows: for each entry aij in an array A ∈ F, let Sij denote the
sum of all the entries of A sharing either a row or column (or both) with aij . Then aij is
replaced by the remainder when Sij is divided by two.
Prove that for any A ∈ F, K(A) = K(K(A)).
(Aaron Lin)

Solution. We will show the result holds for any n × n grid, where n is odd.

1 point if this claim is made. A correct solution which does not

explicitly note this, of course, will not be penalized.

Let the entries of A be aij , 1 ≤ i, j ≤ n. Let the entries of K(A) be bij , and let the entries
of K(K(A)) be cij .
By symmetry, it suffices to check that c11 = b11 .

1 point if this claim is made. Again, a correct solution which does

not utilize this will still receive the 1 point.

Now, let R = a11 + a12 + · · · + a1n and C = a11 + a21 + · · · + an1 . Then,
n
X n
X
c11 ≡ −b11 + bk1 + b1k (mod 2)
k=1 k=1
n
X n
X
= b11 + bk1 + b1k
k=2 k=2
   
n
X n
X n
X n
X
= b11 + C + akj  + R + ajk 
k=2 j=2 k=2 j=2
n X
X n n X
X n
= b11 + akj + ajk + (n − 1)C + (n − 1)R
k=2 j=2 k=2 j=2
X
= b11 + 2 axy + (n − 1)C + (n − 1)R
2≤x,y≤n

≡ b11 (mod 2)
which implies c11 = b11 as desired.

5 points for this computation. 2 points may be awarded for a

decent attempt with double summation.

Remark. In grading this approach, we have the following rules in addition:

1 + 1 = 1, 1 + 2 = 2, and 1 + 1 + 2 = 2. Essentially any solution which does
not successfully carry out the double summation earns at most 2 points, and
any solution which fails to attempt double summation earns at most 1 point.
On the other hand, any solution which correctly sums the expression implic-
itly earns the remaining points. The possible marks for this approach are
0, 1, 2, 7.

5. In convex hexagon AXBY CZ, sides AX, BY and CZ are parallel to diagonals BC, XC
and XY , respectively. Prove that 4ABC and 4XY Z have the same area.
(Evan Chen)

55
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

Solution. Let [P] denote the area of a polygon P.

The important claim is that if KL k M N , then [KLM ] = [KLN ]. This is a simple conse-
quence of the formula A = 12 bh.

1 point for this remark. No points will be deducted if this claim

is cited as well-known.

Then, we find that

[ABC] = [XBC] (since AX k BC)
= [XY C] (since BY k XC)
= [XY Z] (since CZ k XY )
as desired.

6 points for completing the solution.

Remark. The possible marks for this approach are 0, 1, 7.

6. A strictly increasing sequence {xi }∞

i=1 of positive integers is said to be [i]large[/i] if, for every
real number L, there exists an integer n such that x11 + x12 + · · · + x1n > L. Do there exist
large sequences {ai }∞ ∞ ∞
i=1 and {bi }i=1 such that the sequence {ai + bi }i=1 is not large?
(Lewis Chen)

Solution. The answer is yes.

1 point for correctly answering yes and some attempt at a con-

struction. Solutions which claim no sequences exist earn 0 points.

We present one of many possible constructions.

The idea is to select ai and bi such that ai + bi = 2i , which will make {ai + bi }∞
i=1 not large.
Let the ai and bi alternate in runs, where one sequence increases by one at each step, as
shown in the table below.

i 1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 16 17 18 216 − 8
16 16
ai 1 2 3 4 19 50 · · · 2 − 24 2 − 23 · · · 217 − 48 ···
16 216 −8 17
bi 1 2 5 12 13 14 · · · 24 2 + 23 · · · 2 − 2 + 48 · · ·
length 12 length 216 − 24

Table VIII.1.: ai and bi

Formally, we define the sequences by t1 = 2, a1 = b1 = 1, a2 = b2 = 2, and

tn+1 = tn + max {atn , btn }
(
an + 1 if ∃k : t2k−1 + 1 ≤ n ≤ t2k
an+1 = n+1
2 − bn otherwise
(
bn + 1 if ∃k : t2k + 1 ≤ n ≤ t2k+1
bn+1 =
2n+1 − an otherwise.

56
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

Note that
1 1 1 1 1 1
+ + ··· + > + ··· + = .
n+1 n+2 2n |2n {z 2n} 2
n terms

This construction guarantees that

t2k
X 1 1
> .
ai 2
i=t2k−1 +1

Similar equations hold for bi . Therefore {ai } and {bi } are large. So we’re done.

6 points for a valid construction. Serious but unsuccessful at-

tempts with good ideas can earn 1 or 2 points. Essentially correct
constructions with minor calculation errors earn 5 points.

Remark. In this approach, 1 + 1 = 1 + 2 = 2. The possible marks for this

approach are 0, 1, 2, 6, 7.

7. Let a, b, c be positive reals satisfying a3 + b3 + c3 + abc = 4. Prove that

(5a2 + bc)2 (5b2 + ca)2 (5c2 + ab)2 (a3 + b3 + c3 + 6)2

+ + ≥
(a + b)(a + c) (b + c)(b + a) (c + a)(c + b) a+b+c

and determine the cases of equality.

(Evan Chen)

Solution. The equality cases are a = b = c = 1 and the cyclic permutations of

 
2 1 1
(a, b, c) = √3
,√ ,√ .
3 33 33

1 point for stating the correct equality cases (even without proof ).

By the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality,

P 2
5a3 + abc
2
X (5a3 +abc)2 cyc 5a3 + 5b3 + 5c3 + 3abc
≥P =
cyc
a2 (a + b)(a + c) 2
cyc a (a + b)(a + c) (a + b + c)(a3 + b3 + c3 + abc)

which simplifies to the desired right-hand side.

3 points for solving the inequality. No points are awarded for just
mentioning Cauchy.

Equality occurs if and only if

5a3 + abc 5b3 + abc 5c3 + abc

= =
a2 (a + b)(a + c) b2 (b + c)(b + a) c2 (c + a)(c + b)

Multiplying by abc(a + b)(b + c)(c + a) we observe this is equivalent to

bc(5a2 + bc)(b + c) = ca(5b2 + ca)(c + a) = ab(5c2 + ab)(a + b)

57
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

Let us assume without loss of generality that c ≥ max{a, b}. We now find that

0 = b(5a2 + bc)(b + c) − a(5b2 + ac)(a + c)

= 5abc(a − b) + c(b3 − a3 ) + c2 (b2 − a2 )
= c(b − a)(−5ab + a2 + ab + b2 + c(a + b))
= c(b − a)(a2 + b2 + c(a + b) − 4ab)

But,
a2 + b2 + ca + cb − 4ab ≥ 2(a2 + b2 ) − 4ab ≥ 0
with equality only when a = b = c. This forces a = b; otherwise the two factors are both
nonzero. Now, if we set t = ac = cb we find that

0 = t(5 + t)(t + 1) − (5t2 + 1)(2) = t3 − 4t2 + 5t − 2 = (t − 2)(t − 1)2

which gives the equality cases claimed above.

3 points for correctly establishing the equality cases, as above. 2

points can be given if there are minor calculation errors; 1 point
for significant progress with good ideas (e.g. breaking symmetry).

Remark. The real difficulty in this problem is not proving the inequality
itself but finding and proving the additional equality cases. A solution which
does not note the unusual equality case is therefore worth 0 or 3 points. The
possible marks for a solution with the correct equality cases are 1, 4, 5, 6, 7.

8. For a finite set X define X Y

S(X) = x and P (x) = x.
x∈X x∈X

Let A and B be two finite sets of positive integers such that |A| = |B|, P (A) = P (B) and
S(A) 6= S(B). Suppose for any n ∈ A ∪ B and prime p dividing n, we have p36 | n and
p37 - n. Prove that
|S(A) − S(B)| > 1.9 · 106 .

(Evan Chen)

Solution. Let A = a36 36 36 and B = b36 , b36 , · · · , b36 . Notice that a a · · · a =

 
1 , a2 , · · · , an 1 2 n 1 2 n
b1 b2 · · · bn and the ai , bi are squarefree.
The crucial component of the solution is the claim
Claim. For any prime p such that p − 1 | 36, we have S(A) ≡ S(B) (mod p).

2 points if this claim is made.

Proof. Let Ap = {a ∈ A | p divides a} and define Bp analogously. The condition that the ai
and bi are squarefree, together with P (A) = P (B), imply that |Ap | = |Bp |.

1 point if it is noted that |Ap | = |Bp |, even outside the context of

this claim.

58
The NIMO Compendium 3. Winter Olympiad 2013

Now by Fermat’s Little Theorem, we see that

(
p−1 1 a 6≡ 0 (mod p)
a ≡ .
0 a ≡ 0 (mod p)

So S(A) ≡ n − |Ap | (mod p), S(B) ≡ n − |Bp | (mod p) =⇒ S(A) ≡ S(B) (mod p). 

3 points for completing this proof.

Now S(A) − S(B) ≡ 0 (mod p) for p ∈ {2, 3, 5, 7, 13, 19, 37}. Hence, S(A) − S(B) is divisible
by
2 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 13 · 19 · 37 = 1919190 > 1.9 · 106
which implies the conclusion upon remarking that S(A) − S(B) 6= 0.

1 point for this finishing touch.

Remark. In this problem, the rule 2 + 1 = 2 applies. The possible marks

for this approach are 0, 1, 2, 6, 7.

59
The NIMO Compendium 4. Winter Olympiad 2014

4. Winter Olympiad 2014

January 2014

1. Find, with proof, all real numbers x satisfying x = 2 (2 (2 (2 (2x − 1) − 1) − 1) − 1) − 1.

(Evan Chen)

Solution 1. Define f (x) = 2x−1. Because the equation is linear, it has at most one solution.

5 points for this claim. 1 point for trying to consider this function
in a nontrivial way.

Because 1 is a fixed point (i.e. f (1) = 1), f (f (f (f (f (1))))) = 1 implies x = 1 is a solution,

and hence the only one.

2 points for this correct answer.

Remark. Here 1 + 2 = 2. The possible marks for this approach are 0, 1,

2, 5, 7.

Solution 2. Expanding, the right-hand side is seen to equal 32x − 31.

5 points for expanding correctly. 1 point can be given for a failed

attempt at expanding.

Setting this equal to x gives 32x − 31, or x = 1.

2 points for this correct answer.

Remark. The combination 1 + 2 seems unrealizable. The possible marks

for this approach are 0, 1, 2, 7.

2. Determine, with proof, the smallest positive integer c such that for any positive integer n,
the decimal representation of the number cn + 2014 has digits all less than 5.
(Evan Chen)

Solution. The answer is c = 10.

1 point for this answer.

First, we will prove c ≥ 10 is necessary to work. For 1 ≤ c ≤ 5, n = 1 gives the numbers

2015, 2016, . . . , 2019, none of which work. On the other hand, for 6 ≤ c ≤ 9, n = 2 gives
the numbers 2050, 2063, 2078, 2095, none of which work.

3 points for proving c ≥ 10 is necessary.

60
The NIMO Compendium 4. Winter Olympiad 2014

Next, we will prove c = 10 is a working example for all n. When 1 ≤ n ≤ 3, we have 2024,
2114 and 3014. When n ≥ 4, we find that

10n + 2014 = 1 000

| .{z
. . 000} 2014
n − 4 zeros

which also works. This shows that c = 10 is the answer.

3 points for proving c = 10 works. Deduct 2 points for failing to
acknowledge the case 1 ≤ n ≤ 3. Do not award any points for
merely claiming c = 10 “clearly works”.

Remark. In grading this approach, 1 + 3 = 3, but 1 + 3 + 1 = 5. The

combination 3 + 3 = 6 seems very hard to achieve. The possible marks for
this approach are 0, 1, 3, 5, 7.

Note. In any optimization problem, there are always two parts. The first is to establish a
bound – in this case, we proved c ≥ 10 by exhausting the smaller cases. The second step is
to prove that the bound is tight – in this case, we had to check c = 10 actually worked. We
hope this problem was an illustrative/instructive example for what it means to rigorously
show a value is minimal or maximal.

3. The numbers 1, 2, . . . , 10 are written on a √

board. Every minute, one can select three numbers
a, b, c on the board, erase them, and write a2 + b2 + c2 in their place. This process continues
until no more numbers can be erased. What is the largest possible number that can remain
on the board at this point?
(Evan Chen)

Solution. The key observation is that the sum of the squares of all numbers is preserved in
each step.

3 points for this step. Deduct 2 points if assumptions are made

about the order in which the numbers are taken.

Because we erase three numbers and replace it with one number in each operation, there
will be two positive numbers in the end. The sum of the squares of the 10 original numbers
is 12 + 22 + · · · + 102 = 385. Because the minimum possible
√ value for one
√ of the√final two
2
numbers is 1, the maximum possible value for the other is 385 − 1 = 384 = 8 6.

1 point for noting two numbers remain, and 1 point for noting is
at least one. 2 points for the correct final answer.

61
The NIMO Compendium 4. Winter Olympiad 2014

Remark. In grading this problem, we have three rules in addition.

• Many teams do not note the SOS invariant. Apply 1 + 2 = 1 + 1 + 2 = 2
and 1 + 1 = 1. In other words, such solutions earn at most 2.
• Some solutions make observations about the sum of squares but do
so by making assumptions about what numbers are taking, leading to
1/3 in the first part. These solutions earn at most 4 points; we apply
1 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 4 to them. Moreover, 1 + 1 = 1 + 1 + 1 = 1.
• In rare cases, a solution may note the SOS invariant but fail to yield
any final answer. I do not recall seeing any such solution, but apply
3+1 = 3+1+1 = 3 here. Graders may be more generous if an incorrect
final answer was clearly due to a simple arithmetic error.
The possible marks for this problem are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

4. Prove that there exist integers a, b, c with 1 ≤ a < b < c ≤ 25 and

S(a6 + 2014) = S(b6 + 2014) = S(c6 + 2014)

where S(n) denotes the sum of the decimal digits of n.

(Evan Chen)

Solution. It is not hard to show that 256 + 2014 < 500,000,000 (say by 256 = 6253 < 7003 =
343 · 106 ). We claim one can select a, b, c not divisible by three.

2 point for claiming this is possible with a, b, c not divisible by

three.

There are 17 possible choices of a, b, c. Now x6 + 2014 ≡ 8 (mod 9) for each x = a, b, c by

Euler’s Theorem. Hence the possible values of S(x6 + 2014) ≡ 8 (mod 9) are {8, 15, . . . , 71}
(using the bound above).

2 points for considering modulo 9 and using S(x) ≡ x (mod 9).

There are eight such values, hence three of them coincide by Pigeonhole.

3 points for this finishing remark, along with the bound. 1 point
can be awarded for mentioning Pigeonhole.

Remark. The 1 point is not additive, so 2 + 1 = 2 and 2 + 2 + 1 = 4. All

other marks are additive. The 3 seems hard to obtain without the previous
steps. The possible marks for this problem are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7.

Solution 2. There are several other triples which can be explicitly shown to work, for ex-
ample (1, 4, 10) and (5, 7, 8).

2 points for stating a triple and 5 points for showing it works.

Remark. The possible marks for this approach are 0, 2, 7.

62
The NIMO Compendium 4. Winter Olympiad 2014

5. Let ABC be an acute triangle with orthocenter H and let M be the midpoint of BC. (The
orthocenter is the point at the intersection of the three altitudes.) Denote by ωB the circle
passing through B, H, and M , and denote by ωC the circle passing through C, H, and M .
Lines AB and AC meet ωB and ωC again at P and Q, respectively. Rays P H and QH meet
ωC and ωB again at R and S, respectively. Show that 4BRS and 4CRS have the same
area.
(Aaron Lin)

A
Q

H
P

B C
M

Figure VIII.3.: The points R, M , S are collinear.

Solution. In what follows all angles are directed modulo π.

It is easy to see that ]ABH = ]HCA (they are 90 − ∠A). Hence

]P SQ = ]P SH = ]P BH = ]ABH = ]HCA = ]HCQ = ]HRQ = ]P RQ.

Therefore P QRS is cyclic.

2 points for proving this. A claim without proof gets 1 point.

Next, we claim M , R, S are collinear. This follows from

]HM S = ]HP S = ]RP S = ]RQS = ]RQH = ]HM R.

3 points for proving this. A claim without proof gets 1 point.

Now note that triangles BM R and CM R have the same area, as do BM S and CM S (since
M is the midpoint of BC). Hence triangles BRS and CRS have the same area as desired.

2 points for this with all other steps.

Remark. In this problem, 1 + 1 = 1, 2 + 1 = 2, but 1 + 3 = 3; i.e. reducing

the problem to P QRS cyclic earns three points. Failing to account for con-
figuration issues leads to a 1-point deduction on full solutions. The possible
marks for this approach are 0, 1, 2, 5, 6 (configuration dependencies), 7.

63
The NIMO Compendium 4. Winter Olympiad 2014

6. Let ϕ(k) denote the numbers of positive integers less than or equal to k and relatively prime
to k. Prove that for some positive integer n,
1
ϕ(2n − 1) + ϕ(2n + 1) < ϕ(2n).
1000

(Evan Chen) Note. This is not the version of the problem that appeared on the contest. The
contest version erroneously asks a contestant to prove that ϕ(2n − 1) + ϕ(2n + 1) > 2ϕ(2n).

Solution. Let

p1 , p2 , . . . be the sequence of odd prime numbers. It is well known that
Q −1
i 1 − p i tends to zero. That means we can find indices k and ` for which

`
Y k
1 − p−1

Y
1 − p−1


i < i <ε
i=k+1 i=1

for any ε > 0. By the Chinese Remainder Theorem, we can find several n such that 2n−1 ≡ 0
(mod pi ) for each i = 1, 2, . . . , k and 2n + 1 ≡ 0 (mod pi ) for each i = k + 1, k + 2, . . . , `, and
by Dirichlet’s Theorem, we may select such an n prime (note that n 6≡ 0 (mod p)i for any
of these i).
1
Putting such an n, the right-hand side is merely 1000 n while the left is less than

k
Y `
p−1
Y
1 − p−1



(2n − 1) 1− i + (2n + 1) i < 4nε
i=1 i=k+1

1
which is less than 1000 n when ε is sufficiently small.

7. Let ABC be a triangle and let Q be a point such that AB ⊥ QB and AC ⊥ QC. A circle
with center I is inscribed in 4ABC, and is tangent to BC, CA and AB at points D, E, and
F , respectively. If ray QI intersects EF at P , prove that DP ⊥ EF .
(Aaron Lin)

Solution. Let ray QP meet the cirumcircle of ABC at X. First, we remark that X is
concyclic with quadrilateral AF IE. Indeed,

∠AF I = 90◦ = ∠AXQ = ∠AXI.

1 point for this claim.

Consider an inversion through the incircle. (It is expected many students will use similar
triangles to phrase the following steps instead of inversion. We choose to present the inversive
solution because it is more natural.) It sends points A, B, C to A∗ , B ∗ , C ∗ , the midpoints of
EF , F E, and F D. The circumcircle of AF IE is sent to line EF , and consequently because
I, P , X are collinear we see that X maps to P .

1 points for attempting to use similarity in this fashion, or invert-

ing through the incircle. No points for just mentioning inversion.

Because A, B, C, P are concyclic, so are A∗ , B ∗ , C ∗ and P .

2 points for this observation, through inversion or otherwise.

64
The NIMO Compendium 4. Winter Olympiad 2014

A
X

E
P A∗
F
I

C∗
B∗

B D C

Figure VIII.4.: P lies on the nine-point circle of triangle DEF .

Now the circumcircle of A∗ B ∗ C ∗ is the nine-point circle of 4DEF , so DP ⊥ EF as desired.

3 points for finishing.

Remark. In grading this approach, 1 + 1 = 1 and 1 + 2 = 1 + 1 + 2 = 2.

Basically, incomplete solutions earn at most 2 points. The possible marks
for this approach are 0, 1, 2, 7.

8. Define the function ξ : Z2 → Z by ξ(n, k) = 1 when n ≤ k and ξ(n, k) = −1 when n > k,

and construct the polynomial
1000
Y 1000
!
X
P (x1 , . . . , x1000 ) = ξ(n, k)xk .
n=1 k=1

(a) Determine the coefficient of x1 x2 . . . x1000 in P .

(b) Show that if x1 , x2 , . . . , x1000 ∈ {−1, 1} then P (x1 , x2 , . . . , x1000 ) = 0.
(Evan Chen)

Solution. For part (a), the answer is zero.

Let S1000 denote the set of permutations on 1000 elements. For a permutation π of η(π)
denote the set
η(π) = 1 ≤ y ≤ 1000 | y ≥ π −1 (y) .


In particular, 1000 ∈ η(π). It is then easy to see that the desired coefficient is just
X  
(−1)|η(π)| .
π∈S1000

65
The NIMO Compendium 4. Winter Olympiad 2014

Define Ξ : S1000 → S1000 as follows. If π ∈ S1000 and Ξ(π) = σ, then

(
1000 if π(1001 − n) = 1000
σ(n) = .
1000 − π(1001 − n) otherwise

This is clearly a bijection. Note also that σ(1001 − π −1 (y)) = 1000 − y.

1 point for this setup and attempting to construct a bijection.

Now observe that for any 1 ≤ y ≤ 999, we have

y ∈ η(π) ⇐⇒ y ≥ π −1 (y)
⇐⇒ y > π −1 (y) − 1
⇐⇒ 1000 − y > 1001 − π −1 (y)
= σ −1 (1000 − y)
⇐⇒ 1000 − y ∈∈
/ η(σ)

Hence if Ξ(π) = σ, then η(π) ∩ η(σ) = {1000} and η(π) ∪ η(σ) = {1, 2, . . . , 1000}. This now
implies the sum is zero, because then |η(π)| and |η(σ)| have opposite parities.

2 points for completing the bijection and finishing the problem.

No partial credit in this part.

Remark. No points are awarded for guessing the correct answer or for
only bijection terms to permutations. The possible marks for this part are
0, 1, 3.

The second part is a consequence of the so-called Discrete Intermediate Value Theorem.
Define
1000
1X
Sn = ξ(n, k)xk
2
k=1

for n = 0, 1, 2, . . . , 1000, and each is an integer. Observe that

|Sn+1 − Sn | = 1.

for any n = 0, 1, 2, . . . , 999. On the other hand S1000 = −S0 .

1 point for both of these observations.

If S0 = S1000 = 0 then the conclusion is clear. Otherwise, there must be some intermediate
index k with Sk = 0, finishing the problem.

3 points for applying discrete IVT successfully to yield the conclu-

sion. 1 point can be awarded for mentioning discrete IVT.

Remark. Here 1 + 1 = 1. The possible marks for this part are 0, 1, 4.

Remark. In grading this problem, a partial mark in one part and a full
mark in the other are not additive. The possible marks for this approach
are 0, 1, 3, 4, 7.

66
The NIMO Compendium 4. Winter Olympiad 2014

Note. Part (a) actually follows from part (b) using a contradiction of the combinatorial
nullstellensatz. Here is an adopted proof. Assume for contradiction that the coefficient in
part (a) is actually c 6= 0, and let P be the polynomial formed by replacing every instance
of x2i with 1 for every value of i. Now, P must have the term cx1 x2 . . . x1000 , as any reduced
terms have degree strictly less than 1000 and so cannot cancel it. The resulting polynomial
unfortunately, has degree at most 1 in any xi . A simple induction shows that P must be the
zero polynomial, contradicting the fact that c 6= 0. The conclusion thus follows.
Making only minor modifications to the above proof, one can derive the theorem of Alon.
Let f be a polynomial of degree t1 + · · · + tn with coefficients in some field F .
Suppose S1 , S2 , . . . , Sn are nonempty subsets of F such that |Si | ≥ ti + 1 for all i.
Then there exists s1 ∈ S1 , s2 ∈ S2 , . . . , sn ∈ Sn for which

f (s1 , s2 , . . . , sn ) 6= 0

as long as the coefficient of xt11 xt22 . . . xtnn is nonzero.

The above deduction is the special case where F = R and S1 = S2 = · · · = S1000 = {−1, 1}.

67