Solutions of UGB Mock test 1

Shounak Kar
January 2025

Hints and Solutions

1. We define two new sequences. For i = 1, 2, . . . , n, let
b i ak
a′i = ak and b′i =
ai

Then
b i ak ak
a′i − b′i = ak − = (ai − bi )
ai ai
or
(ak − ai ) (ai − bi )
(a′i − b′i ) − (ai − bi ) = ≥0
ai
Therefore
nak = a′1 + a′2 + · · · + a′n ≥ b′1 + b′2 + · · · + b′n
Applying the AM-GM inequality yields
 n1
b1 b2 · · · bn ank b′1 + b′2 + · · · + b′n

1
= (b′1 b′2 · · · b′n ) n ≤ ≤ ak
a1 a2 · · · an n
from which the desired result follows.

2. Consider the function g(x) = e−2x f (x). Clearly g is differentiable on (0, 1). Now
g ′ (x) = e−2x (f ′ (x) − 2f (x)) ≤ 0 =⇒ g(x) ≤ g(0) = 0 ∀x ∈ [0, 1].
=⇒ e−2x f (x) ≤ 0 or f (x) ≤ 0 ∀ x ∈ [0, 1]

On the other hand f ′ (x) ≥ 0 =⇒ f (x) ≥ f (0) = 0 ∀x ∈ [0, 1]. Combining both,
we get
f (x) = 0 ∀ x ∈ [0, 1]

1
3. Since P (P (x)) is strictly monotonous, then it has odd degree and is surjec-
tive. So P (x) has odd degree and is surjective.
If P (a) = P (b) for some a ̸= b, then, since surjective, ∃u ̸= v such that P (u) =
a and P (v) = b And then P (P (u)) = P (P (v)), impossible since P (P (x)) is
monotonous.
Hence P (x) is injective , so it is monotonous. (as injective continuous
functions are monotone)

4. Note that n is a k-number if and only if the equation

n = m2 − k = r(r + k)
has solutions in integers m, r with k ≥ 0. The right-hand equality can be
rewritten as
k 2 − 4k = (2r + k)2 − (2m)2 ,
so k-numbers correspond to ways of writing k 2 − 4k as a difference of two
squares, N 2 − M 2 with N > r and M even (which forces N to have the same
parity as k ).
Any non-zero integer can only be written as a difference of two squares in
finitely many ways (because each gives a factorisation, and a number has
only finitely many factors).
If k ̸= 4 then k 2 − 4k ̸= 0, and as a result, if k ̸= 4 then there are only finitely
many k-numbers. Conversely, if k = 4 then setting m = r + 2 for r ≥ 0 shows
that there are infinitely many 4-numbers.

5. Consider an affine system of coordinates such that none of the segments

determined by the n points is parallel to the x-axis. If the coordinates of
the midpoints are (xi , yi ), i = 1, 2, ..., m, then xi ̸= xj for i ̸= j. Thus we have
reduced the problem to the one- dimensional situation. So let A1 , A2 , ..., An
lie on a line in this order. The midpoints of A1 A2 , A1 A3 , ..., A1 An are all dis-
tinct and different from the (also distinct) midpoints of A2 An , A3 An , ..., An−1 An .
Hence there are at least (n − 1) + (n − 2) = 2n − 3 midpoints. This bound can
be achieved for A1 , A2 , ..., An the points 1, 2, ..., n on the real axis.

√
6. Assume by contradiction that ai 2 is not rational for one of the i. Without
loss of generality, let i = 1. But
√ √ √
a23 + a1 2, a23 + a2 2 ∈ Q so (a2 − a1 ) 2 = r for r ∈ Q.
√  2 √ √ √ 2
Then a2 + a3 2 = a1 + 2 + a3 2 = a21 + a3 2 + (a1 2)r + r2 is rational. Since
2 √ r
√ √ √
a21 + a3 2 and r2 /2 are rational, it follows that (a1 2)r is rational, so is a1 2
as r ∈ Q, a contradiction.

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 R1
7. The minimum of 0
f is 41 .
Applying the condition with 0 ≤ x ≤ 21 , y = x + 1
2
we get

f (x) + f (x + 21 ) ≥ 12 .
By integrating,
Z 1 Z 1/2 Z 1/2
1 1
dx = 14 .


f (x) dx = f (x) + f (x + 2
) dx ≥ 2
0 0 0

On the other hand, the function f (x) = x− 21 satisfies the conditions because

1 1 1 1



|x − y| = x− 2
+ 2
−y ≤ x− 2
+ 2
− y = f (x) + f (y),

and establishes
Z 1 Z 1/2 Z 1
1

1

1 1 1
f (x) dx = 2
− x dx + x− 2
dx = + = .
0 0 1/2 8 8 4

8. Let A have a maximal number of available cities. Name the set of available
cities from A as f (A). Now take a city B which is unavailable from A and
there is another city C so that A and B are available from C. Again B is not
available from any city of f (A) as then it would available from A. Because
B is available from C so C ∈/ f (A) and so A ∪ B ∪ f (A) is the set of available
cities from C which contradicts the maximality of A and hence we prove
non-existence of any such city B which shows every city is available from A.

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