This problem is from Ancient Rome.
A rich senator died, leaving his wife pregnant. After the senator’s death it was found out that he left a property of 210 talents (an Ancient Roman currency) in his will as follows: “In the case of the birth of a son, give the boy two thirds of my property (i.e. 140 talents) and the other third (i.e. 70 talents) to the mother. In the case of the birth of a daughter, give the girl one third of my property (i.e. 70 talents) and the other two thirds (i.e. 140 talents) to the mother.”
The senator’s widow gave birth to twins: one boy and one girl. This possibility was not foreseen by the late senator. How can the property be divided between three inheritors so that it is as close as possible to the instructions of the will?
The tower clock chimes three times in 12 seconds. How long will six chimes last?
The smell of a flowering lavender plant diffuses through a radius of 20 m around it. How many lavender plants must be planted along a straight 400m path so that the smell of the lavender reaches every point on the path.
In some country there are 101 cities, and some of them are connected by roads. However, every two cities are connected by exactly one path.
How many roads are there in this country?
Determine all integer solutions of the equation \(yk = x^2 + x\). Where \(k\) is an integer greater than \(1\).
A group of numbers \(A_1, A_2, \dots , A_{100}\) is created by somehow re-arranging the numbers \(1, 2, \dots , 100\).
100 numbers are created as follows: \[B_1=A_1,\ B_2=A_1+A_2,\ B_3=A_1+A_2+A_3,\ \dots ,\ B_{100} = A_1+A_2+A_3\dots +A_{100}.\]
Prove that there will always be at least 11 different remainders when dividing the numbers \(B_1, B_2, \dots , B_{100}\) by 100.
Two players in turn increase a natural number in such a way that at each increase the difference between the new and old values of the number is greater than zero, but less than the old value. The initial value of the number is 2. The winner is the one who can create the number 1987. Who wins with the correct strategy: the first player or his partner?
a) The vertices (corners) in a regular polygon with 10 sides are colored black and white in an alternating fashion (i.e. one vertex is black, the next is white, etc). Two people play the following game. Each player in turn draws a line connecting two vertices of the same color. These lines must not have common vertices (i.e. must not begin or end on the same dot as another line) with the lines already drawn. The winner of the game is the player who made the final move. Which player, the first or the second, would win if the right strategy is used?
b) The same problem, but for a regular polygon with 12 sides.
Prove that in any group of 7 natural numbers – not necessarily consecutive – it is possible to choose three numbers such that their sum is divisible by 3.
a) We are given two cogs, each with 14 teeth. They are placed on top of one another, so that their teeth are in line with one another and their projection looks like a single cog. After this 4 teeth are removed from each cog, the same 4 teeth on each one. Is it always then possible to rotate one of the cogs with respect to the other so that the projection of the two partially toothless cogs appears as a single complete cog? The cogs can be rotated in the same plane, but cannot be flipped over.
b) The same question, but this time two cogs of 13 teeth each from which 4 are again removed?