There is a group of 5 people: Alex, Beatrice, Victor, Gregory and Deborah. Each of them has one of the following codenames: V, W, X, Y, Z. We know that:
Alex is 1 year older than V,
Beatrice is 2 years older than W,
Victor is 3 years older than X,
Gregory is 4 years older than Y.
Who is older and by how much: Deborah or Z?
It is known that a certain polynomial at rational points takes rational values. Prove that all its coefficients are rational.
The order of books on a shelf is called wrong if no three adjacent books are arranged in order of height (either increasing or decreasing). How many wrong orders is it possible to construct from \(n\) books of different heights, if: a) \(n = 4\); b) \(n = 5\)?
Prove that if the irreducible rational fraction \(p/q\) is a root of the polynomial \(P (x)\) with integer coefficients, then \(P (x) = (qx - p) Q (x)\), where the polynomial \(Q (x)\) also has integer coefficients.
Prove that multiplying the polynomial \((x + 1)^{n-1}\) by any polynomial different from zero, we obtain a polynomial having at least \(n\) nonzero coefficients.
There are 8 glasses of water on the table. You are allowed to take any two of the glasses and make them have equal volumes of water (by pouring some water from one glass into the other). Prove that, by using such operations, you can eventually get all the glasses to contain equal volumes of water.
Prove that there are infinitely many composite numbers among the numbers \(\lfloor 2^k \sqrt{2}\rfloor\) (\(k = 0, 1, \dots\)).
It is known that \(\cos \alpha^{\circ} = 1/3\). Is \(\alpha\) a rational number?
Let \(f (x)\) be a polynomial of degree \(n\) with roots \(\alpha_1, \dots , \alpha_n\). We define the polygon \(M\) as the convex hull of the points \(\alpha_1, \dots , \alpha_n\) on the complex plane. Prove that the roots of the derivative of this polynomial lie inside the polygon \(M\).
a) Using geometric considerations, prove that the base and the side of an isosceles triangle with an angle of \(36^{\circ}\) at the vertex are incommensurable.
b) Invent a geometric proof of the irrationality of \(\sqrt{2}\).