We solve problems

Problems Methods Pigeonhole principle Pigeonhole principle (other) Algebraic methods Proof by exhaustion

Peter has some coins in his pocket. If Peter pulls \(3\) coins from his pocket, without looking, there will always be a £1 coin among them. If Peter pulls \(4\) coins from his pocket, without looking, there will always be a £2 coin among them. Peter pulls \(5\) coins from his pocket. Identify these coins.

Problem #PRU-111000

Problems Combinatorics Integer lattices Integer lattices (other) Methods Pigeonhole principle Pigeonhole principle (finite number of poits, lines etc.)

12–14 3.0

Inside a square with side 1 there are several circles, the sum of the radii of which is 0.51. Prove that there is a line that is parallel to one side of the square and that intersects at least 2 circles.

Problem #PRU-111328

Problems Algebra and arithmetic Word problems Tables and tournaments Number tables and its properties Methods Pigeonhole principle Pigeonhole principle (other)

12–14 3.0

A cinema contains 7 rows each with 10 seats. A group of 50 children went to see the morning screening of a film, and returned for the evening screening. Prove that there will be two children who sat in the same row for both the morning and the evening screening.

Problem #PRU-111682

Problems Algebra and arithmetic Word problems Tables and tournaments Chessboards and chess pieces Methods Pigeonhole principle Pigeonhole principle (finite number of poits, lines etc.) Proof by contradiction

12–14 3.0

100 queens, that cannot capture each other, are placed on a \(100 \times 100\) chessboard. Prove that at least one queen is in each \(50 \times 50\) corner square.

Problem #PRU-111770

Problems Methods Pigeonhole principle Pigeonhole principle (other)

13–15 3.0

In 25 boxes there are spheres of different colours. It is known that for any \(k\) where \(1 \leq k \leq 25\) in any \(k\) of the boxes there are spheres of exactly \(k+1\) different colours. Prove that a sphere of one particular colour lies in every single box.

Problem #PRU-111923

Problems Calculus Derivative Derivative and extrema Derivative and multiple roots

15–16 3.0

When water is drained from a pool, the water level \(h\) in it varies depending on the time \(t\) according to the function \(h (t) = at^2 + bt + c\), and at the time \(t_0\) of when the draining is ending, the equalities \(h (t_0) = h' (t_0) = 0\) are satisfied. For how many hours does the pool drain completely, if in the first hour the water level in it is reduced by half?

Problem #PRU-115374

Problems Set theory and logic Mathematical logic Mathematical logic (other)

10–12 2.0

In Neverland, only elves and gnomes live. Gnomes lie about their gold, but in any other instances they tell the truth. Elves lie when talking about gnomes, but in other instances they tell the truth. One day two neverlandians said:

\(A\): All my gold I stole from the Dragon.

\(B\): You’re lying.

Determine whether each of them is an elf or a gnome.

Problem #PRU-115379

Problems Set theory and logic Theory of algotithms Theory of algorithms (other)

11–12 2.0

Hannah has a calculator that allows you to multiply a number by 3, add 3 to the number or (4 if the number is divisible by 3 to make a whole number) divide by 3. How can the number 11 be made on this calculator from the number 1?

Problem #PRU-115384

Problems Combinatorics Geometry on grid paper Methods Pigeonhole principle Pigeonhole principle (finite number of poits, lines etc.)

12–14 4.0

A game of ’Battleships’ has a fleet consisting of one \(1\times 4\) square, two \(1\times 3\) squares, three \(1\times 2\) squares, and four \(1\times 1\) squares. It is easy to distribute the fleet of ships on a \(10\times 10\) board, see the example below. What is the smallest square board on which this fleet can be placed? Note that by the rules of the game, no two ships can be placed on horizontally, vertically, or diagonally adjacent squares.

Problem #PRU-115386

Problems Algebra and arithmetic Word problems Tables and tournaments Tables and tournaments (other) Set theory and logic Theory of algotithms

11–13 2.0

In the \(4 \times 4\) square, the cells in the left half are painted black, and the rest – in white. In one go, it is allowed to repaint all cells inside any rectangle in the opposite colour. How, in three goes, can one repaint the cells to get the board to look like a chessboard?