Round 20

Problem 1/20. Determine the number of points (x,y) on the hyperbola

2xy - 5x + y = 55

for which both x and y are integers.

Problem 2/20. Find the smallest value of n for which the following statement is true: Out of every set of n positive integers one can always choose seven numbers whose sum is divisible by 7.

Problem 3/20. The husbands of 11 mathematicians accompany their wives to a meeting. Sometimes the husbands pass one another in the halls, but once any particular pair have passed each other once, they never pass each other again. When they pass one another, either only one of them recognizes the other, or they mutually recognize each other, or neither recognizes the other. We will refer to the event of one husband recognizing another one as a "sighting", and to the event of them mutually recognizing each other as a "chat", since in that case they stop for a chat. Note that each chat accounts for two sightings.

If 61 sightings take place, prove that one of the husbands must have had at least two chats.

Problem 4/20. Suppose that a and b are positive integers such that the fractions a/(b-1) and a/b, when rounded (by the usual rule; i.e., digits 5 and larger are rounded up, while digits 4 and smaller are rounded down) to three decimal places, both have the decimal value .333.

Find, with proof, the smallest possible value of b.

Problem 5/20. In the figure shown below, the centres of the circles (IMAGE) , (IMAGE) , and (IMAGE) are collinear, A and B are the points of intersection of (IMAGE) and (IMAGE) , and C is a point of intersection of (IMAGE) and the extension of AB. Prove that the two small circles shown, tangent to (IMAGE) , (IMAGE) and BC, and to (IMAGE) , (IMAGE) and BC, respectively, are congruent to one another.

(IMAGE)

Solve as many of the problems as you can (you need not solve them all), and mail your solutions to:

Professor E. J. Barbeau
Department of Mathematics
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON M5S 3G3

Make sure that the front page of your solutions contains your full name and mailing address.

These problems are made available through the quarterly journal Mathematics and Informatics. Student subscriptions at US$12 (student rate) or US$18 (teacher rate) may be ordered from Prof. George Berzsenyi, Department of Mathematics, Box 121, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN 47803-3999, U.S.A. Remittances should be payable to Mathematics and Informatics.

This page last updated: February 3, 1997
Original Web Site Creator / Mathematical Content Developer: Philip Spencer
Current Network Coordinator and Contact Person: Joel Chan - mathnet@math.toronto.edu

Navigation Panel:

$(SWITCH TO TEXT-ONLY VERSION)$

Go backward to Round 19
Go up to Talent Search Index
$(SWITCH TO TEXT-ONLY VERSION)$ Switch to text-only version (no graphics)
Access printed version in PostScript format (requires PostScript printer)
Go to University of Toronto Mathematics Network Home Page