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 \(n\)?
Author: L.N. Vaserstein
For any natural numbers \(a_1, a_2, \dots , a_m\), no two of which are equal to each other and none of which is divisible by the square of a natural number greater than one, and also for any integers and non-zero integers \(b_1, b_2, \dots , b_m\) the sum is not zero. Prove this.
The segment \(OA\) is given. From the end of the segment \(A\) there are 5 segments \(AB_1, AB_2, AB_3, AB_4, AB_5\). From each point \(B_i\) there can be five more new segments or not a single new segment, etc. Can the number of free ends of the constructed segments be 1001? By the free end of a segment we mean a point belonging to only one segment (except point \(O\)).
The numbers \(\lfloor a\rfloor, \lfloor 2a\rfloor, \dots , \lfloor Na\rfloor\) are all different, and the numbers \(\lfloor 1/a\rfloor, \lfloor 2/a\rfloor,\dots , \lfloor M/a\rfloor\) are also all different. Find all such \(a\).
Solve the equation \(x^3 - \lfloor x\rfloor = 3\).
Airlines connect pairs of cities. How can you connect 50 cities with the fewest number of airlines so that from every city you can get to any other city by taking at most two flights?
Does there exist a number \(h\) such that for any natural number \(n\) the number \(\lfloor h \times 2021^n\rfloor\) is not divisible by \(\lfloor h \times 2021^{n-1}\rfloor\)?
Is there a line on the coordinate plane relative to which the graph of the function \(y = 2^x\) is symmetric?
In a dark room on a shelf there are 4 pairs of socks of two different sizes and two different colours that are not arranged in pairs. What is the minimum number of socks necessary to move from the drawer to the suitcase, without leaving the room, so that there are two pairs of socks of different sizes and colours in the suitcase?
Aladdin visited all of the points on the equator, moving to the east, then to the west, and sometimes instantly moving to the diametrically opposite point on Earth. Prove that there was a period of time during which the difference in distances traversed by Aladdin to the east and to the west was not less than half the length of the equator.