Miscellaneous

Problem
Solving
Problem #1: Sum of Consecutive Integers

Find the value of 1+2+3+4+5+6+……100

 Solution #1
Let us write the first numbers and the last numbers in the series

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ⋯ + 97 + 98 + 99 + 100

Notice that if you add up the first number and the last number you get a sum
of 101:
1 + 100 = 101

Similarly, notice then that pairing other numbers gives you the same 101 sum
2 + 99 = 101; 3 + 98 = 101; 4 + 97 = 101
 Solution #1
Observation: We can pair up the numbers in the series so that they sum up
to a constant 101.

Question: How many pairs are there?

Since we are pairing up 100 terms (from 1 to 100), there must be a total of
50 pairs

Therefore, we have 1 + 2 + 3 + ⋯ + 98 + 99 + 100 = 50×101 = 𝟓𝟎𝟓𝟎

 Solution #2
A straightforward solution would be to use the formula for the sum of
arithmetic sequence:

First Term + Last Term

Sum = ×Number of Terms
2
1 + 100
= ×100
2
= 5050

Remark: This solution actually takes its inspiration from solution #1

Historical Remark
• Carl Friedrich Gauss had a lazy teacher, who just wanted to keep
his students busy so he can sleep.
• He asked the class to add up the numbers 1 to 100
• Expecting that the teacher could buy himself a lot of time (since
you would be adding 100 numbers in total), he was surprised that
Gauss got the answer extremely fast, using the technique he
employed in solution 1.1.
Problem #2: Todd and Scott

In a 100-meter race, Todd crosses the finish line 5 meters

ahead of Scott. To even things up, Todd suggests to Scott that
they race again, this time with Todd lining up 5 meters behind
the start. Who wins this race? Would there be a tie?

Assume that the speeds that Todd and Scott displayed on the
first race are also the speeds that they will have on the second
race.
 Solution
There is a solution that will involve algebra. However, that solution is too
complicated, and we will be using critical thinking to solve the problem

We will be showing that Todd will still win the match.

Of course, the problem already assumes that the speeds that Todd and Scott
displayed on the first race are also the speeds that they will have on the
second race.
 Solution
In the initial race, Todd finishes 5 meters ahead of Scott.

Observation 1: The time it takes Todd to run 100 meters is the same as the
time it takes Scott to run 95 meters.
Observation 2: Todd runs at a FASTER speed than Scott.
 Solution
In the second race, Todd started 5 meters before the starting point.

This means, Todd has to travel 105 meters to get to the finish line while Scott
only needs 100 meters.

Starting Configuration
 Solution
Observation 1: The time it takes Todd to run 100 meters is the same as the
time it takes Scott to run 95 meters.
This means that they will reach the 95 meter mark at the same time
Since Todd runs faster than Scott, then Todd will finish the remaining 5
meters faster than Scott. So Todd wins
Problem #3.1: Hello, It’s me

Every person at a party of 28 people said hello to each of

the other people at the party exactly once. How many
"hello's" were said at the party?
 Solution
Let’s name the people in the party by numbers: Person 1, person 2, …, person
28

For person 1, he/she has to say hello, to person 2, 3, 4, …, 28. Therefore,

person 1 has to say hello to 27 other people.

For person 2, he/she has to say hello to person 1,3,4,5,…, 28. Therefore,
person 2 has to say hello to 27 other people.

A person will say hello to 27 other people, which is every person in the
party, other than himself/herself
 Solution

Since there are 28 people, then there must be

𝟐𝟕×𝟐𝟖 = 𝟕𝟓𝟔
Hello’s in the party
Problem #3.2: Handshakes, It’s me

Every person at a party of 28 people shook hands with each

of the other people at the party exactly once. How many
handshakes were there at the party?
 Solution
The problem was changed from “hello’s” to “handshakes”. Let us see the
adjustments we are going to make for this revised problem.

Consider any two people in the party, person A and person B. If the question
were originally “hellos”, then this is how the exchange will work out:

Person A: Hello person B!

Person B: Hello person A!

So in this case, there are two hellos exchanged for each pair of persons
 Solution
Now, let’s go back to the problem, and select two persons again: Person A and
Person B. Instead of having two “hello’s”, there will just be one handshake:

So in this case, for every pair, there is just one handshake that transpired.
 Solution
So technically, one handshake corresponds to two hello’s.

Since we had 756 hello’s as our answer in problem 3.1, the total number of
handshakes is:

756
= 378 handshakes
2
Problem #4: Die Hard Time

In the movie Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Bruce Willis and

Samuel L. Jackson are given a 5-gallon jug and a 3-gallon jug
and they must put exactly 4 gallons of water on a scale to
keep a bomb from exploding. Explain how they could
accomplish this feat.
 Solution
Here is a problem where you cannot properly measure how much water is in
the jug.

You’re only measuring methods are the facts that:

1. An empty jug contains 0 gallons of water
2. A full 5-gallon jug has 5 gallons of water
3. A full 3-gallon jug has 3 gallons of water.

Using these, let us try and form 4 gallons, let’ us illustrate the steps using the
table.
 Solution
We can make use of numbers to denote how much water is inside the jugs
3 Gallon Jug 5 Gallon jug Step used
3 0 Fill up 3 Gallon jug

0 3 Transfer content to 5 gallon

3 3 Fill up 3 gallon jug

1 5 Transfer content to 5 gallon jug

1 0 Throw away 5 gallon contents

0 1 Transfer content to 5 gallon jug

3 1 Fill up 3 gallon jug

0 4 Transfer contents to 5 gallon jug

 Solution
Notice in our last row, we have successfully created a 4-gallon jug. This
means that we are done! Yay!

Remark: In the exam, if a similar problem is given to you guys, all you need to
do is show me the first two columns of the table. No need to illustrate what
steps you took in the third column
Problem #5: Boxes and Paths
Connect each small box on the top with its same letter-mate
on the bottom with paths that do not cross one another, nor
leave/touch the boundaries of the large box.
Solution
 Inductive
Reasoning/Pattern Finding
Problem 1: Sum of Consecutive Odd
Numbers

Use inductive reasoning to determine the value of

1 + 3 + 5 + ⋯ + (2𝑛 − 1)

Make sure your conjecture is correct for 𝑛 = 1,2,3,4,5

Solution
Notice that the expression is the sum of odd numbers from 1 until 2𝑛 − 1

For 𝑛 = 1, since 2𝑛 − 1 = 1, the value of the expression is 1 = 1

For 𝑛 = 2, since 2𝑛 − 1 = 3, the value of expression is 1 + 3 = 4
For 𝑛 = 3, since 2𝑛 − 1 = 5, the value of expression is 1 + 3 + 5 = 9
For 𝑛 = 4, since 2𝑛 − 1 = 7, the value of expression is 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 16
For 𝑛 = 5, since 2𝑛 − 1 = 9, the value of expression is 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 =25

Hence, we can conjecture that:

1 + 3 + 5 + ⋯ + 2𝑛 − 1 = 𝒏𝟐
Problem 2: Units Digit

Find the units digit of

7""""

The term “units digit” refers to the “ones digit”

Remark: If you forgot how exponents work, it is the number of times

you multiply the base with itself, for example:
3" = 3×3×3×3 = 729
Solution
Let’s create a table and find a pattern for the last digit of 7# .

Observation: The last digit of a product does only depends on the last digit of
the factors

For example, you do not need to know the exact value of

2000019123948230958×9849203480238940239

To know that the last digit is simply the last digit of 8×9 = 72, or 2
Solution
Here is a table that summarizes the last digits.
𝒏 Last digit of 𝟕𝒏 𝒏 Last digit of 𝟕𝒏
1 7" = 7, so 𝟕 6 7×7 = 49, so 9

2 7# = 49, so 9 7 9×7 = 63, so 3

3 7$ = 343, so 3 8 3×7 = 21, so 1

4 7% = 2401, so 1 9 1×7 = 7, so 7

5 1×7 = 7, so 7 10 7×7 = 49, so 9

Solution
Notice that the sequence of remainders:
7,9,3,1,7,9,3,1,7,9
Repeats every four.

We can actually summarize our results in the table

𝒏 Units digit of 𝟕𝒏 Remainder when 𝒏
is divided by 4
1,5,9 7 1
2,6,10 9 2
3,7,11 3 3
4,8,12 1 0
Solution
Hence, we can conjecture the following
The units digit of 7# depends on the remainder when 𝑛 is divided by 4

Since 4444 leaves a remainder of 0, when divided by 4, then the units digit of
7"""" is 1. This is our final answer

Remark: How did we know that we should inspect remainders when

divided by 4?

Answer: We know that the pattern repeats every four times, so in makes
sense to check for remainders when divided by 4
Problem 3: Units Digit Again!

Find the last digit of

7"""" + 14$%%
Solution
The last digit of an integer is just the units digit as well.

We need to find first the last digit of 14$%% . We create a table as well:
𝒏 Last digit of 𝟏𝟒𝒏 𝒏 Last digit of 𝟏𝟒𝒏
1 14" = 14, so 4 4 4×4 = 16, so 6

2 14# = 196, so 6 5 6×4 = 24, so 4

3 6×4 = 24, so 4 6 4×4 = 16, so 6

Solution
Notice that the sequence of remainders:
4,6,4,6,4,6 …
Repeats every 2.

We can actually summarize our results in the table

𝒏 Units digit of 𝟏𝟒𝒏 Remainder when 𝒏
is divided by 2
1,3,5 4 1
2,4,6 6 0
Solution
Hence, we can conjecture the following
The units digit of 14# depends on the remainder when 𝑛 is divided by 2

Since 133 leaves a remainder of 1, when divided by 2, then the units digit of
14$%% is 4.

From the last number the units digit of 7"""" is 1. Hence the units digit of
7"""" + 14$%% is the last digit of 1 + 4, which is 𝟓. This is our final answer
Problem 4: A Nice Sum of Fractions

Use inductive reasoning to determine the value of the following

expression:

1 1 1 1 1
+ + + + ⋯+
1×2 2×3 3×4 4×5 2019×2020
Solution
Let’s make the problems simpler by choosing the first few terms in the sum

If we take 1 term in the sum, our sum is

1 1
=
1×2 2
If we take 2 terms in the sum, our sum is
1 1 4 2
+ = =
1×2 2×3 6 3
If we take 3 terms in the sum, our sum is
1 1 1 3
+ + =
1×2 2×3 3×4 4
Solution
Let’s make the problems simpler by choosing the first few terms in the sum

If we take 4 terms in the sum, our sum is

1 1 1 1 4
+ + + =
1×2 2×3 3×4 4×5 5
If we take 5 terms in the sum, our sum is
1 1 1 1 1 5
+ + + + =
1×2 2×3 3×4 4×5 5×6 6
Solution
Summarizing our answers in the table we have:
Number of terms taken Sum
1 1
2
2 2
3
3 3
4
4 4
5
5 5
6
𝑛 𝑛
𝑛+1
Solution
Since our original sum:

1 1 1 1 1
+ + + + ⋯+
1×2 2×3 3×4 4×5 2019×2020

Has 2019 terms, then we expect that the sum is

2019 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗
=
2019 + 1 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎
Problem 5: Running Circles!

Create a conjecture regarding the maximum number of intersection

points of 𝑛 circles.

Make sure that your conjecture is correct for 𝑛 = 1,2,3,4

Remark: A point of intersection of 2 circles is/are the points where

they meet
Solution
For 𝑛 = 1, there are no intersections
Solution
For 𝑛 = 2, there are a maximum of two intersections
Solution
For 𝑛 = 3, there are a maximum of six intersections
Solution
For 𝑛 =4, there are a maximum of twelve intersections
Solution
In summary we have the following:

𝒏 Maximum number of intersections

1 0
2 2
3 6
4 12

We make the following conjecture:

The maximum number of intersections of 𝒏 circles is 𝒏(𝒏 − 𝟏)
Remark
This is a difficult problem, especially thinking of a conjecture that works for
𝑛 = 1,2,3,4

In the quiz, the conjecture by itself is worth very little. A big chunk of your
score will depend on checking out the small cases, and making sure you are
correct.
Additional Parity Problems
Problem #1: Ugly Sum but Nice Answer
Determine whether

1!"!" + 2!"!" + 3!"!" + ⋯ + 2019!"!" + 2020!"!"

is even or odd.

Remark: If you forgot how exponents work, it is the number

of times you multiply the base with itself, for example:
3# = 3×3×3×3 = 729
Solution:
Obviously, we would not want to actually solve for the value of expression.
Let us tackle this problem through the parity perspective.

Notice that the numbers 1!"!" , 3!"!" , 5!"!" , … , 2019!"!" are all odd, this is
because the base is odd (1,3,5, … , 2019 are all odd). No matter how many
times you multiply an odd number by itself, the result will always be odd,
since Odd×Odd = Odd

Similarly, the numbers 2!"!" , 4!"!" , … , 2020!"!" are all even. This is
because Even×Even = Even
Solution:
So what happens is that the sum

1!"!" + 2!"!" + 3!"!" + ⋯ + 2020!"!"

Is just
Odd + Even + Odd + ⋯ + Even

Since adding an even number does not change the parity, then the above
sum has the same parity as

1!"!" + 3!"!" + ⋯ + 2019!"!"

Solution:

There are 1010 odd numbers in the series

Since we are adding an even (which is 1010) number of odd numbers, then
the resulting sum is even
Problem #2: Primes and Primes
Find all pairs of numbers, 𝑝 and 𝑞, for which both are
prime, and 𝑝! + 3 = 𝑞

A prime number is a positive integer that only has 1 and

itself as its factors. 2,3,5,7 are prime numbers, and 9, 10,
12, 15 are not prime numbers
Solution: Preliminaries
You might have noticed that 𝑝 = 2 and 𝑞 = 7 are prime numbers that
satisfy the equation

However, the questions asks to find all solutions. Have we found all the
solutions?

Take note: just because we have not found any more solutions, does not
mean that we there are no other solutions.

We will be showing that 𝑝 = 2 and 𝑞 = 3 are the only solutions, through

deductive reasoning. More specifically parity.
Solution
Let us inspect the equation again.
𝑝! + 3 = 𝑞

Notice that 3 is an odd number, and we know that adding an odd number
changes the parity.

Therefore, 𝑝! and 𝑞 are of different parity. And thus, one of them is even,
and another is odd.

Let us work this out by cases.

Solution
Case 1: 𝑝! is even and so 𝑞 is odd

Since 𝑝 is an integer, then 𝑝 must be even also, since Odd×Odd = Odd and
Even×Even = Even

So 𝑝 is a prime number, but it is also an even number. The only even

prime number is 2.

This means that 𝑝 = 2, and therefore

𝑞 = 𝑝! + 3 = 2! + 3 = 7
We can verify that 𝑞 = 7 too is a prime, hence 𝒑 = 𝟐 and 𝒒 = 𝟕 is a
solution
Solution
Case 2: 𝑞 is even and so 𝑝! is odd

So 𝑞 is a prime number, and also an even number. The only even prime
number is 2, so 𝑞 = 2

This means that

𝑝! + 3 = 𝑞 = 2
𝑝! = −1

But this is impossible! Perfect squares are never negative, so there are no
possible answers for case 2
Solution

Therefore the only possible solution (which we extracted from both cases)
is 2,7 .
Problem #3: He was number 1
The product of 2019 integers is 1, can their sum be 0?

The product of 2020 integers is 1, can their sum be 0?

Solution
Notice that the only way the product of multiple integers is 1 is when those
integers are either
−1 or 1

For their sum to be 0, there must be an equal number of −1# s as 1# 𝑠. But if

there are 2019 numbers, an odd number, it is impossible.

On the other hand, if there are 2020 numbers, then there can be
1010 1# 𝑠
1010 − 1′s

They sum up to 0
Remark
If it is possible, all you have to do is to give me ONE example that satisfy the
condition, which we did for the second part of this problem
Problem #4: An Open Book
Lee bought a notebook containing 96 pages, and
consecutively numbered them from 1 through 192. Reese
tore out 25 pages of Lee’s notebook, and added the 50
numbers he found on the pages. Explain why Reese cannot
get a sum of 2020, no matter which 25 pages she tore out.
Solution
Consider an individual page. Notice that it has two consecutive integers
written on that page.

Therefore, each page contains an even number and an odd number.

So, regardless of the pages Reese tore out, taking 25 pages means she will
have 25 odd numbers and 25 even numbers.

The sum of 25 odd numbers and 25 even numbers is odd, and since 2020 is
even, it is impossible to get the sum of 2020
Problem #5: Pluses and Minuses
All natural numbers from 1 to 10 inclusive are written in a
row. Is it possible to fill in the blanks with " + “ or " − “ such
that the resulting expression is equal to 0?

1__2__3__4__5__6__7__8__9__10
Solution
Let us name two sets of numbers:
set 𝐴 will contain the numbers appended by a minus sign,
set 𝐵 will contain the other remaining numbers

For example, if we put pluses and minuses this way

1 − 2 + 3 + 4 − 5 + 6 + 7 − 8 − 9 + 10

Then 1,3,4,6,7, and 10 are all part of set 𝐵

And 2,5,8, and 9 are part of set 𝐴
Solution
Notice that for the expression to be equal to 0, the sum of the numbers in
the set 𝑨 should be equal to the sum of the numbers in Set 𝑩.

But this is impossible, since

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ⋯ + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 = 55

Is an odd number.

Therefore, it is impossible to turn the expression to 0.

Pursuing PARITY
Parity Property of Integers

An integer is either even or odd.

Parity

A number is even if it can be written as the

product of two times an integer.

A number is odd if it can be written as the

product of two times an integer plus 1.
Some properties regarding parity

u The sum of two even numbers is even

u The sum of two odd numbers is even
u The sum of an even number and an odd
number is odd
u The product of two numbers will only be odd if
each of the two factors is odd.
Extending the concepts

u The sum of an even number of odd numbers is even

u The sum of an odd number of odd numbers is odd
Some properties regarding parity

u Adding an even number will NOT CHANGE the

parity.
u Multiplying by an odd number will NOT
CHANGE the parity.
Given integers 𝑎, 𝑏 and 𝑐, suppose that the
numbers 𝑎 − 𝑏 and 𝑏 − 𝑐 are even. What can you
say about the parity of 2𝑎 − (𝑏 + 𝑐)?
Problem

John and Pete have three pieces of paper. Each

of the boys picks one piece, tears it up, and puts
the smaller pieces back. John only tears a piece
of paper into 3 smaller pieces while Pete only
tears a piece of paper into 5 smaller pieces. After
a few minutes can there be exactly 100 pieces of
paper?