We are given a polynomial \(P(x)\) and numbers \(a_1\), \(a_2\), \(a_3\), \(b_1\), \(b_2\), \(b_3\) such that \(a_1a_2a_3 \ne 0\). It turned out that \(P (a_1x + b_1) + P (a_2x + b_2) = P (a_3x + b_3)\) for any real \(x\). Prove that \(P (x)\) has at least one real root.
Matt, Conrad and Louie ate some sweets. Their surnames are Smith, Jones and Cooper. Smith ate 2 sweets fewer than Matt, Jones – 2 sweets fewer than Conrad, and Conrad ate more than anyone. Which of them has which last name?
A monkey, donkey and goat decided to play a game. They sat in a row, with the monkey on the right. They started to play the violin, but very poorly. They changed places and then the donkey was in the middle. However the violin trio still didn’t sound as they wanted it to. They changed places once more. After changing places 3 times, each of the three “musicians” had a chance to sit in the left, middle and right of the row. Who sat where after the third change of seats?
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?
Going to school, Michael found everything he needed under the pillow, under the sofa, on the table or under the table. The items he needed to find were a notebook, a cheat sheet, an mp3 player and sneakers. Under the table, he did not find a notebook or an mp3 player. His cheat sheet never lies on the floor. The mp3 player was neither on the table nor under the sofa. What was lying where, if there was only one object in each of the places?
2012 pine cones lay under the fir-tree. Winnie the Pooh and the donkey Eeyore play a game: they take turns picking up these pine cones. Winnie-the-Pooh takes either one or four cones in each of his turns, and Eeyore – either one or three. Winnie the Pooh goes first. The player who cannot make a move loses. Which of the players can be guaranteed to win, no matter how their opponent plays?
Compare the numbers: \(A=2011\times 20122012\times 201320132013\) and \(B= 2013\times 20112011 \times 201220122012\).
In front of a gnome there lie three piles of diamonds: one with 17, one with 21 and one with 27 diamonds. In one of the piles lies one fake diamond. All the diamonds have the same appearance, and all real diamonds weigh the same, and the fake one differs in its weight. The gnome has a cup weighing scale without weights. The dwarf must find with one weighing a pile, in which all the diamonds are real. How should he do it?
Ladybirds gathered in a sunny clearing. If the ladybird has \(6\) spots, then it always speaks the truth, and if it has \(4\) spots, then it always lies. There are no other types of ladybirds in the meadow. The first ladybird said: “We each have the same number of spots on our backs.” The second one said: “Everyone has \(30\) spots on their backs in total.” “No, we all have \(26\) spots on their backs in total,” the third objected. “Of these three, exactly one told the truth,” – said each of the other ladybirds. How many ladybugs were gathered in the meadow?
We are given \(n+1\) different natural numbers, which are less than \(2n\) (\(n>1\)). Prove that among them there will always be three numbers, where the sum of two of them is equal to the third.