Problems

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Found: 458

Prove that the sum of two consecutive numbers is always odd.

Show algebraically that the sum of two odd numbers is even.

Show that the sum of any \(100\) consecutive numbers is a multiple of \(50\) but not a multiple of \(100\).

Alice sums \(n\) consecutive numbers, not necessarily starting from \(1\), where \(n\) is a multiple of four. An example of such a sum is \(5+6+7+8\). Can this sum ever be odd?

Show that the difference between two consecutive square numbers is always odd.

Let \(n\) be a natural number and \(x=2n^2+n\). Prove that the sum of the square of the \(n+1\) consecutive integers starting at \(x\) is the sum of the square of the \(n\) consecutive integers starting at \(x+n+1\).

For example, when \(n=2\), we have \(10^2+11^2+12^2=13^2+14^2\)!

Show that if \(x,y,z\) are distinct nonzero numbers such that \(x+y+z = 0\), then we have \[\left(\frac{x-y}{z}+\frac{y-z}{x}+\frac{z-x}{y}\right)\left(\frac{z}{x-y}+\frac{x}{y-z}+\frac{y}{z-x}\right) = 9.\]

Let \(P(x)\) be a polynomial with integral coefficients. Suppose there exist four distinct integers \(a,b,c,d\) with \(P(a) = P(b) = P(c) = P(d) = 5\). Prove that there is no integer \(k\) with \(P(k) = 8\).

For which natural number \(n\) is the polynomial \(1+x^2+x^4+\dots+x^{2n-2}\) divisible by the polynomial \(1 +x+x^2+\dots+x^{n-1}\)?

Let \(P(x)\) be a polynomial with integer coefficients. Set \(P^1(x) = P(x)\) and \(P^{i+1}(x) = P(P^i(x))\). Show that if \(t\) is an integer such that \(P^k(t)=t\) for some natural number \(k\), then in fact we have \(P^2(t) = t\).