Putnam Problem Set 2

September 1st

1. If the numbers {1, 2, . . . , 2n } are arranged in a circle and every other

number is eliminated in turn (ie 2 is eliminated, then 4 is eliminated, etc.)
which number will be the second to last remaining?

2. (M) You have two lengths of fuse. Each will burn for exactly one hour.
But the fuses are not necessarily identical and do not burn at a constant
rate, there are fast burning sections and slow burning sections. How can
you measure 45 minutes using only the fuses and a lighter?

3. Hall, Reno, Marinelli and Pastore are a dancer, a painter, a writer and
a pianist, but not necessarily in that order. Marinelli and Hall were in the
audience the night the pianist gave a recital. Both Pastore and the writer
have sat for portraits by the painter. The writer, whose biography of Reno
was a best seller, is planning to write a biography of Marinelli. Marinelli
has never heard of Hall. What is each persons profession? (assume no
self-portraits or autobiographies)

4. (B) Can one place eight 2 2 dominoes on an 8 8 checkerboard so

that no room is left for one more? (dominoes are to be placed squarely on
the board)

5. (P 1967 B1) Let ABCDEF be a hexagon inscribed in a circle of radius

R. Show that if AB = CD = EF = R, then the midpoints of BC, DE and
F A are the vertices of an equilateral triangle.

6. (P 1990 A3) Prove that any convex pentagon whose vertices (no three
of which are collinear) have integer coordinates must have area at least 52 .

7. (P 2001 A4) Triangle ABC has area 1. Points E, F and G lie, respec-
tively, on sides BC, CA and AB such that AE bisects BF at point R, BF
bisects CG at point S, and CG bisects AE at point T . Find the area of
triangle RST .