100 children were each given a bowl with 100 pieces of pasta. However, these children did not want to eat and instead started to play. One of the children started to place one piece of her pasta into other children’s bowls (to whomever she wants). What is the least amount of transfers needed so that everyone has a different number of pieces of pasta in their bowl?
Author: A.K. Tolpygo
An irrational number \(\alpha\), where \(0 <\alpha <\frac 12\), is given. It defines a new number \(\alpha_1\) as the smaller of the two numbers \(2\alpha\) and \(1 - 2\alpha\). For this number, \(\alpha_2\) is determined similarly, and so on.
a) Prove that for some \(n\) the inequality \(\alpha_n <3/16\) holds.
b) Can it be that \(\alpha_n> 7/40\) for all positive integers \(n\)?
What has a greater value: \(300!\) or \(100^{300}\)?
30 pupils in years 7 to 11 took part in the creation of 40 maths problems. Every possible pair of pupils in the same year created the same number of problems. Every possible pair of pupils in different years created a different number of problems. How many pupils created exactly one problem?
The number \(A\) is divisible by \(1, 2, 3, \dots , 9\). Prove that if \(2A\) is presented in the form of a sum of some natural numbers smaller than 10, \(2A= a_1 +a_2 +\dots +a_k\), then we can always choose some of the numbers \(a_1, a_2, \dots , a_k\) so that the sum of the chosen numbers is equal to \(A\).
Is it possible to place the numbers \(1, 2,\dots 12\) around a circle so that the difference between any two adjacent numbers is 3, 4, or 5?
In March 2015 a teacher ran 11 sessions of a maths club. Prove that if no sessions were run on Saturdays or Sundays there must have been three days in a row where a session of the club did not take place. The 1st March 2015 was a Sunday.
The grandad is twice as strong as the grandma, the grandma is three times stronger than the granddaughter, the granddaughter is four times stronger than the dog, the dog is five times stronger than the cat and the cat is six times stronger than the mouse. The grandad, the grandma, the granddaughter, the dog and the cat together with the mouse can pull out the pumpkin from the ground, which they cannot do without the mouse. How many mice should be summoned so that they can pull out the pumpkin themselves?
Fred and George together with their mother were decorating the Christmas tree. So that they would not fight, their mother gave each brother the same number of decorations and branches. Fred tried to hang one decoration on each branch, but he needed one more branch for his last decoration. George tried to hang two toys on each branch, but one branch was empty. What do you think, how many branches and how many decorations did the mother give to her sons?
One three-digit number consists of different digits that are in ascending order, and in its name all words begin with the same letter. The other three-digit number, on the contrary, consists of identical digits, but in its name all words begin with different letters. What are these numbers?