2021 IMOC Problems

August 2–8, 2021

Algebra
A1 (wayneyam). Find all real numbers x that satisfies
Ã… … √
1 1 1 1
x− + 1− − » » + 1− » » = x.
x x x − x1 + 1 − x1 x− 1
+ 1− 1
x x

A2 (usjl). For any positive integers n, find all n-tuples of real numbers (a1 , . . . , an ) satisfying
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
n n 2 n−2 n n n
(x + a1 )(x + a2 ) · · · (x + an ) = x +
n
a1 x n−1
+ a2 x +···+ n−1
an−1 x + a .
1 2 n−1 n n

A3 (Li4). For any real numbers x, y, z with xyz + x + y + z = 4, show that

(yz + 6)2 + (zx + 6)2 + (xy + 6)2 ≥ 8 (xyz + 5) .

A4 (usjl). Find all functions f : R → R such that

f (f (x) + y 2 ) = x − 1 + (y + 1)f (y)

holds for all real numbers x, y.

A5 (2021 TWN). Let M be an arbitrary positive real number greater than 1, and let a1 , a2 , . . .
be an infinite sequence of real numbers with an ∈ [1, M ] for any n ∈ N. Show that for any
ε > 0, there exists a positive integer n such that
an an+1 an+t−1
+ + ··· + ≥t−ε
an+1 an+2 an+t
holds for any positive integer t.

A6 (usjl). Let n be some positive integer and a1 , . . . , an be some real numebrs. Denote
∑
n ∑
n ∑
n
S0 = a2i , S1 = ai ai+1 , S2 = ai ai+2 ,
i=1 i=1 i=1

where an+1 = a1 , an+2 = a2 .

1. Show that S0 − S1 ≥ 0。

2. Show that 3 is the minimimum value of C such that for any n and a1 , . . . , an , there holds
C(S0 − S1 ) ≥ S1 − S2 .

A7 (CSJL). For any positive reals a, b, c, d that satisfy a2 + b2 + c2 + d2 = 4, show that

a3 b3 c3 d3
+ + + + 4abcd ≤ 6.
a+b b+c c+d d+a

A8 (ckliao914). Find all functions f : N → N with

f (x) + yf (f (x)) < x(1 + f (y)) + 2021

holds for all positive integers x, y.

Author: 3
A9 (ckliao914). For any given positive integer n, find
( ( ) )
∑ n n
· (−1) k
(−1)n
k
− .
k=0
(n + 1 − k)2 (k + 1)(n + 1)

A10 (Untro368). For any positive reals x, y, z with xyz + xy + yz + zx = 4, prove that
… …    
xy + x + y yz + y + z zx + z + x 3(x + 2)(y + 2)(z + 2)
+ + ≥3 .
z x y (2x + 1)(2y + 1)(2z + 1)

A11 (Untro368). Given n ≥ 2 reals x1 , x2 , . . . , xn . Show that

( n )
∏ ∏ ∑
n−1
(xi − xj )2 ≤ x2i
j
1≤i<j≤n i=0 j=1

and find all the (x1 , . . . , xn ) where the equality holds.

Author: 4
Combinatorics
C1 (CSJL). The numbers 1, 2, . . . , 2021 are arranged in a circle. For any 1 ≤ i ≤ 2021, if
i, i + 1, i + 2 are three consecutive numbers in some order such that i + 1 is not in the middle,
then i is said to be a good number. Here, we see 2022 as 1 and 2023 as 2. What is the maximum
number of good numbers?

C2 (usjl, ST). Given a positive integer N . There are three squirrels that each has a positive
integer. It is known that the largest integer and the least one differ by exactly N . Each time,
the squirrel with the second largest integer looks at the squirrel with the largest integer. If
the integers they have are different, then the squirrel with the second largest integer would be
unhappy and attack the squirrel with the largest one, making its integer decrease by two times
the difference between the two integers. If the second largest integer is the same as the least
integer, only of the squirrels would attack the squirrel with the largest integer. The attack
continues until the largest integer becomes the same as the second largest integer. What is the
maximum total number of attacks these squirrels make?

C3 (ltf0501). Two squirrels, Bushy and Jumpy, have collected 2021 walnuts for the winter.
Jumpy numbers the walnuts from 1 through 2021, and digs 2021 little holes in a line in the
ground near their favourite tree. The next morning Jumpy notices that Bushy had placed one
walnut into each hole, but had paid no attention to the numbering. Unhappy, Jumpy decides to
reorder the walnut, and Bushy decides to interfere with Jumpy. The two take turns to reorder
the walnuts. Each time, Bushy chooses 1232 walnuts and reorder them, and then Jumpy chooses
n walnuts to reorder. Find the least positive integer n such that whatever Bushy does, JUmpy
can always reorder the walnuts in finitely many turns such that the walnut labeled i is placed
in the i-th hole from the left.

C4 (ST). There is a city with many houses, where the houses are connected by some two-way
roads. It is known that for any two houses A, B, there is exactly one house C such that both
A, B are connected with C directly by some roads. Show that for any two houses that are not
directly connected by a road, they have the same number of roads incident to them.

C5 (houkai). A drunken person walks randomly on a tree. Each time, the person chooses
uniformly at random a neighboring node and walks there. Show that wherever the person’s
starting point and goal are, the expected number of steps the person takes to reach the goal is
always an integer.

C6 (ST, danny2915). Two people play a game on a graph with 2022 points. Initially there are
no edges in the graph. They take turns and connect two non-neighboring vertices and connect
them with an edge. Whoever makes the graph connected lose. Which player has a winning
strategy?

C7 (ltf0501). Given a positive integer n. An n-gun is a 2n-mino that is formed by putting a

1 by n grid and an n by 1 grid side by side so that one of the corner unit square of the first
grid is next to one of the corner unit square of the second grid. Find the minimum positive
integer k such that it is possible to color the infinite planar grid into k colors such that any
n-gun cannot cover two different squares with the same color.

C8 (usjl, ST). Find all positive integers m, n such that the m by n grid can be tiled by figures
formed by deleting one of the corners of a 2 by 3 grid.

Author: 5
C9 (CSJL). There are two vertices A, B in a simple graph such that there are exactly 100
shortest paths from A to B. Find the minimum number of vertices of the graph.

C10 (2014 Tournament of Towns Junior). In a 100 by 100 grid, there is a spider and 100
bugs. Each time, the spider can walk up, down, left or right, and the spider aims to visit all
the squares with bugs to eat them all. The spider begins from the top-left corner. Show that
no matter where the bugs are, the spider can always eat them all within 2000 steps.

C11 (CSJL). In an m by n grid, each squares is either filled with X or unfilled. For each
square, its value is defined to be 0 if it is filled, and it is defined as the number of filled squares
among the eight neighboring squares if the square is not filled. Here, two squares are neighbors
of each other if they share an edge or a vertex. Let f (m, n) be the largest possible total value
of the squares in an m by n grid. Determine the minimum real C such that

f (m, n)
≤C
mn
holds for any positive integers m, n.

Author: 6
Geometry
G1 (PSJL). Let BE and CF be altitudes of triangle ABC, and let D be the antipodal point
←→ ←→
of A on the circumcircle of ABC. The lines DE and DF intersect ⊙(ABC) again at Y and Z,
←→ ←→ ←→
respectively. Show that Y Z,EF and BC intersect at a point.

G2 (Li4). Let the midline of △ABC parallel to BC intersect the circumcircle Γ of △ABC
at P , Q, and the tangent of Γ at A intersects BC at T . Show that ∡BT Q = ∡P T A.

G3 (Cindy.tw). Let I be the incenter of the acute triangle △ABC, and BI, CI intersect
the altitude of △ABC through A at U , V , respectively. The circle with AI as a diameter
intersects ⊙(ABC) again at T , and ⊙(T U V ) intersects the segment BC and ⊙(ABC) at P ,
Q, respectively. Let R be another intersection of P Q and ⊙(ABC). Show that AR ∥ BC.

G4 (ltf0501). Let D be a point on the side AC of a triangle ABC. Suppose that the incircle
of triangle BCD intersects BD and CD at X, Y , respecitvely. Show that XY passes through
a fixed point when D is moving on the side AC.

G5 (ckliao914). The incircle of a cyclic quadrilateral ABCD tangents the four sides at E, F ,
G, H in counterclockwise order. Let I be the incenter and O be the circumcenter of ABCD.
Show that the line connecting the centers of ⊙(OEG) and ⊙(OF H) is perpendicular to OI.

G6 (ltf0501). Let Ω be the circumcircle of triangle ABC. Suppose that X is a point on the
segment AB with XB = XC, and the angular bisector of ∠BAC intersects BC and Ω at D, M ,
respectively. If P is a point on BC such that AP is tangent to Ω and Q is a point on DX such
that CQ is tangent to Ω, show that AB, CM , P Q are concurrent.

G7 (ckliao914). The incircle of triangle ABC tangents BC, CA, AB at D, E, F , respectively.

Let the tangents of E, F with respect to ⊙(AEF ) intersect at P , and X be a point on BC
such that EF , DP , AX are concurrent. Define Q, Y and R, Z similarly. Show that X, Y , Z
are collinear.

G8 (chengbilly). Let P be an arbitrary interior point of △ABC, and AP , BP , CP intersect

BC, CA, AB at D, E, F , respectively. Suppose that M be the midpoint of BC, ⊙(AEF )
and ⊙(ABC) intersect at S, SD intersects ⊙(ABC) at X, and XM intersects ⊙(ABC) at Y .
Show that AY is tangent to ⊙(AEF ).

G9 (Yi-Hsiang Chiao). Let the incenter and the A-excenter of △ABC be I and IA , respec-
tively. Let BI intersect AC at E and CI intersect AB at F . Suppose that the reflections of I
with respect to EF, F IA , EIA are X, Y, Z, respectively. Show that ⊙(XY Z) and ⊙(ABC) are
tangent to each other.

G10 (ltf0501). Let O, I be the circumcenter and the incenter of triangle ABC, respectively,
and let the incircle tangents BC at D. Furthermore, suppose that H is the orthocenter of
triangle BIC, N is the midpoint of the arc BAC, and X is the intersection of OI and N H. If
P is the reflection of A with respect to OI, show that ⊙(IDP ) and ⊙(IHX) are tangent to
each other.

G11 (ckliao914). The incircle of △ABC tangents BC, CA, AB at D, E, F , respectively. The

Author: 7
projections of B, C to AD are U, V , respectively; the projections of C, A to BE are W, X, re-
spectively; and the projections of A, B to CF are Y, Z, respectively. Show that the circumcircle
of the triangle formed by U X, V Y, W Z is tangent to the inccircle of △ABC.

Author: 8
Number Theory
N1 (LTE). This problem consists of four parts.
1. Show that for any nonzero integers m, n and prime p, we have vp (mn) = vp (m) + vp (n).
2. Show that if an odd prime p, a positive integer k and integers a, b satisfy p ∤ a, b，p | a − b
and p ∤ k, then vp (ak − bk ) = vp (a − b).
3. Show that if p is an odd prime with p | a − b and p ∤ a, b, then vp (ap − bp ) = vp (a − b) + 1.
4. Show that if an odd prime p, a positive integer k and integers a, b satisfy p ∤ a, b，p | a−b,
then vp (ak − bk ) = vp (a − b) + vp (k).

N2 (ltf0501). Show that for any two distinct odd primes p, q, there exists a positive integer
n such that {d(n), d(n + 2)} = {p, q}, where d(n) is the smallest prime factor of n.

N3 (TAN768092100853). Define the function f : N>1 → N>1 such that f (x) is the greatest
prime factor of x. A sequence of positive integers {an } satisfies a1 = M > 1 and
®
an − f (an ), if an is composite.
an+1 =
an + k, otherwise.
Show that for any positive integers M , k, the sequence {an } is bounded.

N4 (usjl, adapted from 2014 Taiwan TST). There are m ≥ 3 positive integers, not necessarily
distinct, that are arranged in a circle so that any positive integer divides the sum of its neighbors.
Show that if there is exactly one 1, then for any positive integer n, there are at most φ(n) copies
of n.

N5 (2021 TWN). Find all set S of positive integers that satisfies all of the following.
1. If a, b are two not necessarily distinct elements in S, then gcd(a, b), ab are also in S.
2. If m, n are two positive integers with n ∤ m, then there exists an element s in S such that
m2 | s and n2 ∤ s.
3. For any odd prime p, the set formed by moduloing all elements in S by p has size exactly
(p + 1)/2.

N6 (usjl). Show that there do not exist positive integers x, y, z such that
xx + y y = 9 z .

N7 (houkai). Let p be a given odd prime. Find the largest positive integer k ′ such that it is
possible to partition {1, 2, . . . , p − 1} into two sets X and Y such that for any k from 0 to k ′ ,
∑ ∑
ak ≡ bk (mod p).
a∈X b∈Y

N8 (ckliao914). Find all integer-valued polynomials f, g : N → N such that

∀x ∈ N, τ (f (x)) = g(x)
holds for all positive integer x, where τ (x) is the number of positive factors of x.

Author: 9
N9 (CSJL). Find all pairs of positive integers (a, b) such that there exists a finite set of
integers S satisfying that any positive integers can be written as

n = xa + y b + s

where x, y are nonnegative integers and s is some element in S.

N10 (CSJL). A prime p is called perfect if there is a permutation a1 , a2 , . . . , a p−1 , b1 , b2 , . . . , b p−1

2 2
of 1, 2, . . . , p − 1 satisfies
p−1
ai + a−1
i ≡ bi (mod p) ∀1 ≤ i ≤ .
2
Show that there are infinitely many primes that are not perfect.

N11 (usjl). Let p be an arbitrary odd prime, and σ : {1, . . . , p − 1} → {1, . . . , p − 1} is a

function such that
i · σ(i) ≡ 1 (mod p)
holds for any i ∈ {1, . . . , p − 1}. Show that the number of pairs (a, b) ∈ {1, . . . , p − 1}2 with
a < b and σ(a) > σ(b) is at least ú( )2 ü
p−1
.
4
Note: Partial credits may be awarded if the 4 in the statement is replaced with some larger
constant.

Author: 10