Each year a committee appointed by the Unione Matematica Italiana, called “Pro-

getto Olimpiadi della Matematica”, organizes the selection of the Italian team for
the International Mathematical Olympiad. The program is sponsored by the Ital-
ian Ministery for Education (Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione), and is actively
supported by a very large number of mathematics teachers throughout the country.
The selection of students is made in four steps:
1. I giochi di Archimede: this is a very popular competition (with about 300,000
participants), held in November. The papers are given to the students in their
own schools and consist of 20 to 25 multiple choice questions. The questions of
the paper are meant to be suitable to a large number of students and mainly
require ingenuity rather than technical abilities. This competition has two
levels: junior (age 14-16) and senior (age 16-19).
2. Gare provinciali: this competition is held in February in each of about one
hundred provinces of Italy. Only the best students in “I giochi di Archimede”
are admitted. The paper contains three kinds of problems: multiple choice
questions, problems with a numerical answer and problems that require a
mathematical proof.
3. Olimpiadi Italiane di Matematica: this competition is held at the beginning of
May in Cesenatico, a town on the Adriatic coast, among the 300 best students
of level 2. Students are invited for a 3-day event, but the competition itself is
held on just one day. The paper contains 6 problems requiring a mathematical
proof. At the end there is an awarding ceremony in the style of the IMO.
4. Stage for the Team Selection: the best 25 students in level 3 are invited to a
one-week stage, usually held at the end of May. The stage ends with the Team
Selection Test, a two-days’ competition in the Olympiad’s style.
The present booklet collects all the problems given during the selection process in
view of the 2008 I.M.O. in Madrid. For the problems of the first two sections we
include just the answers and some hints for the required proofs. We provide full
solutions for all problems of the “Olimpiadi Italiane di Matematica”.

Pisa, 20 June 2008 Roberto Dvornicich

chairman of the Committee
Progetto Olimpiadi della Matematica
I Giochi di Archimede
21 November 2007
Problems for junior students
1 A football player is paid c6, 000, 000 in the year 2007. The length of time in
which he receives c1000 is:
(A) less than half an hour (B) between half an hour and an hour
(B) between an hour and two hours (B) between two hours and four hours
(E) more than four hours.
2 An equilateral triangle and a square have the same perimeter. What is the ratio
of the length of one of the sides of the triangle to one of the sides of the square?
1 2 3 8
(A) , (B) , (C) , (D) 1, (E) .
2 3 4 3
3 A newspaper costs c0.90; it can be bought with an optional supplement which
costs c1.50. At the end of the day, 333 copies of the newspaper have been sold,
and the total earnings from selling both the newspapers and the supplements is
c539.70. How many copies of the supplement have been sold?
(A) less than 66, (B) more than 67, but less than 132,
(C) more than 133, but less than 200, (D) more than 201, but less than 266,
(E) more than 266.
4 A plane contains two rows of 14 points each, placed on two distinct parallel
lines. If you were to draw a line connecting every point of the first line to every
point of the second line, how many lines would you draw?
(A) 140, (B) 196, (C) 210, (D) 280, (E) 392.
5 Two numbers a and b are such that a + b < 0 and a · b > 0. Which of the
following statements do we know to be true?
(A) a > 0 and b > 0, (B) a < 0 and b < 0, (C) a > 0 and b < 0,
(D) a > −b, (E) b > −a.
6 The number 10100 + 10010 is:
(A) 10020 , (B) 1020 (1 + 1080 ), (C) 10100 (1010 + 1), (D) 10120 , (E) 110110 .
7 Given a rectangle, how much would its surface increase if its base increased by
20% and its height by 50%?
(A) by 70%, (B) by 72%, (C) by 75%, (D) by 78%, (E) by 80%.
8 The spectators of a football game enter the stadium through five gates, one
beside the other. One person enters through the first gate, then two through the
second, three through the third, four through the fourth, five through the fifth,
and then one from the first again, repeating this pattern. Knowing that Ralph will
be the 2007th spectator to enter the stadium, which gate will he pass through?
(A) Through the first, (B) through the second, (C) through the third,
(D) through the fourth, (E) through the fifth.
2

b c a+b
9 If a, b and c are numbers such that = 2 and = 3, what is the value of ?
a b b+c
3 3 3 1 2
(A) , (B) , (C) , (D) , (E) .
8 5 4 3 3
√ √ √
10 The
√ number √10 · 15 + √54 is: √ √
(A) 5 6, (B) 6 8, (C) 8 6, (D) 6 10, (E) 8 10.
D C
11 In the picture on the right, the side of the
ABCD square is 3 m long. EF , which is 1 m long,
is parallel to AB. How much does the surface of
ABF CDE measure?
E F
(A) 5 m2 , (B) 5, 5 m2 , (C) 6 m2 ,
(D) 7 m2 , (E) 7, 5 m2 .
A B
12 Starting from a given vertex of a square, how many distinct routes are there
which pass through each vertex exactly once, moving along the sides and diagonals
of the square?
(A) Two, (B) three, (C) four, (D) six, (E) eight.
13 On the planet Uru, weeks are 8 days long, months are 34 days long and a year
is made of 14 months. When the first day of the year falls on a Sunday, its
inhabitants celebrate the Planet’s Holiday. Knowing that today is Uru’s Planet
Holiday, in how many days will the next Holiday be?
(A) 238, (B) 476, (C) 952, (D) 1428, (E) 1904.
14 Given the triangle ABC, the point D is set on AB and the point E is set on
AC so that the length of AD is a third of AB and the length of AE is one third of
AC. Knowing that the surface of ADE is 5 m2 , how much does does the surface of
BCED measure?
(A) 10 m2 , (B) 20 m2 , (C) 25 m2 , (D) 30 m2 , (E) 40 m2 .
D C
15 In the figure on the right ABCD is a square,
its diagonal is 2 cm long and AEC is an equilateral
triangle. How much does the surface of AECB
measure?
√ √ √
2 2
(A) ( √2 3 − √ 2)cm2 , (B) (√3 − 1)cm
√ ,
(C) (2 3√− 2)cm , (D) ( 2 + 3)cm2 , A B
(E) (2 + 3)cm . 2 E

16 A toothpaste producer reduces the quantity of toothpaste in each tube by

20 g, leaving the price unaltered, so that the value of one kg of toothpaste will
increase by 25%. How much toothpaste did each tube originally contain?
(A) 100 g, (B) 120 g, (C) 125 g, (D) 150 g, (E) 160 g.
 3

17 What is the remainder obtained by dividing the number

10(2007)4 − 8(2007)3 + 12(2007)2 + 721 by 669?
(A) 0, (B) 52, (C) 104, (D) 223, (E) 446.

18 The surface of the white square obtained by

D C
arranging the four right triangles as in the
figure on the left is 17 m2 ; the surface of the
white rhombus obtained by arranging the four
rectangular triangles as in the figure on the
right is 8 m2 . How much does the surface of
ABCD measure?
(A) 19 m2 , (B) 24 m2 , (C) 25 m2 , A B
(D) 32 m2 , (E) 36 m2 .
19 A town is completely inhabited by knights, who always say the truth, and
knaves, who always lie. A journalist interviews four citizens, Arturo, Bernardo,
Carlo and Dario. Arturo says: ”Bernardo is a knave”; Bernardo: ”Of the four of
us, I am the only knight”; Carlo: ”At least one between Arturo and Dario is a
knave”: Dario: ”All four of us are knights”. How many of these four are knights?
(A) None, (B) one, (C) two, (D) three, (E) four.

20 A, B, C and D are four vertices of the cube

shown on the right, and P is the centre of the face
A C
that has A, B and C as vertices. The plane passing
through A, P and D divides the cube in two parts. P
What is the ratio between the volume of the part
that contains B and the part that contains C? D
(A) 1/2, (B) 1, (C) 3/2, (D) 2, (E) 3.
B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
C C C B B B E E A C C D C E B A B C C B
4

Problems for senior students

1 A football player is paid c6, 000, 000 in the year 2007. The length of time in
which he receives c1000 is:
(A) less than half an hour (B) between half an hour and an hour
(B) between an hour and two hours (B) between two hours and four hours
(E) more than four hours.
2 An equilateral triangle and a square have the same perimeter. What is the ratio
of the length of one of the sides of the triangle to one of the sides of the square?
1 2 3 8
(A) , (B) , (C) , (D) 1, (E) .
2 3 4 3
3 A newspaper costs c0.90; it can be bought with an optional supplement which
costs c1.50. At the end of the day, 333 copies of the newspaper have been sold,
and the total earnings from selling both the newspapers and the supplements is
c539.70. How many copies of the supplement have been sold?
(A) less than 66, (B) more than 67, but less than 132,
(C) more than 133, but less than 200, (D) more than 201, but less than 266,
(E) more than 266.
4 Two numbers a and b are such that a + b < 0 and a · b > 0. Which of the
following statements do we know to be true?
(A) a > 0 and b > 0, (B) a < 0 and b < 0, (C) a > 0 and b < 0,
(D) a and b have different signs, and the absolute value of the positive is greater,
(E) a and b have different signs, and the absolute value of the negative is greater.
√ √
5 The√number 3 54 √ + 6 4 is equal√to: √ √
(A) 18 58, (B) 9 54 · 4, (C) 6 112, (D) 3 56, (E) 4 3 2.
D C
6 In the picture on the right, the side of the
ABCD square is 3 m long. EF , which is 1 m long,
is parallel to AB. How much does the surface of
ABF CDE measure?
E F
(A) 5 m2 , (B) 5, 5 m2 , (C) 6 m2 ,
(D) 7 m2 , (E) 7, 5 m2 .
A B
7 The winner of a mountain racing competition took 51 minutes to run its 13 km
racetrack. Paul, who arrived 57th, took 1 hour and 18 minutes. If Paul and the
champion ran at constant speed, what was Paul’s distance from the end of the
racetrack when the winner crossed the finishing line?
(A) 3750 m, (B) 4000 m, (C) 4250 m, (D) 4500 m, (E) 4750 m.
2101 + 293
8 The number is equal to:
286 + 278
(A) 27 · 5, (B) 2 , (C) 213 · 3, (D) 215 ,
13
(E) 215 · 17.
 5

9 On the planet Uru, weeks are 8 days long, months are 34 days long and a year
is made of 14 months. When the first day of the year falls on a Sunday, its
inhabitants celebrate the Planet’s Holiday. Knowing that today is Uru’s Planet
Holiday, in how many days will the next Holiday be?
(A) 238, (B) 476, (C) 952, (D) 1428, (E) 1904.
10 Given the triangle ABC, the point D is set on AB and the point E is set on
AC so that the length of AD is a third of AB and the length of AE is one third of
AC. Knowing that the surface of ADE is 5 m2 , how much does does the surface of
BCED measure?
(A) 10 m2 , (B) 20 m2 , (C) 25 m2 , (D) 30 m2 , (E) 40 m2 .
11 A town is completely inhabited by knights, who always say the truth, and
knaves, who always lie. A journalist interviews four citizens, Arturo, Bernardo,
Carlo and Dario. Arturo says: ”Bernardo is a knave”; Bernardo: ”Of the four of
us, I am the only knight”; Carlo: ”At least one between Arturo and Dario is a
knave”: Dario: ”All four of us are knights”. How many of these four are knights?
(A) None, (B) one, (C) two, (D) three, (E) four.
12 A toothpaste producer reduces the quantity of toothpaste in each tube by
20 g, leaving the price unaltered, so that the value of one kg of toothpaste will
increase by 25%. How much toothpaste did each tube originally contain?
(A) 100 g, (B) 120 g, (C) 125 g, (D) 150 g, (E) 160 g.
13 What is the remainder obtained by dividing the number
10(2007)4 − 8(2007)3 + 12(2007)2 + 721 by 669?
(A) 0, (B) 52, (C) 104, (D) 223, (E) 446.

14 In the figure on the right the radius of the biggest circle is 20

cm. What is the measure of the radius of the grey-coloured
circles?
(A) 5 cm, (B) 6 cm, (C) 8 cm, (D) 9 cm, (E) 10 cm.

15 Professor Victor teaches a class to a group of 10 students and at the beginning

of each lesson he fills in a sheet writing ”present” or ”absent” beside each student’s
name. How many distinct possible ways are there to fill in a sheet?
(A) 102 , (B) 22 + 23 + 24 , (C) 103 , (D) 210 , (E) 104 .
16 Andrea travels down a road at the constant speed of 6 km/h. Marco travels
down a parallel road, in the opposite direction. The distance between the two
roads is 12 km, and between them, 3 km from the road on which Andrea is
travelling, there is a pole. At every moment, Andrea, Marco and the pole lie on
the same line. At what speed is Marco travelling?
(A) 2 km/h, (B) 3 km/h, (C) 12 km/h, (D) 18 km/h, (E) 20 km/h.
6

17 How many among the numbers 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, divide 3714 − 414 ?

(A) One, (B) two, (C) three, (D) four, (E) five.

18 The surface of the white square obtained by D C

arranging the four right triangles as in the
figure on the left is 17 m2 ; the surface of the
white rhombus obtained by arranging the four
rectangular triangles as in the figure on the
right is 8 m2 . How much does the surface of
ABCD measure?
A B
(A) 19 m2 , (B) 24 m2 , (C) 25 m2 ,
(D) 32 m2 , (E) 36 m2 .
19 Claudio and Filippo each have a chessboard with R rows and C columns, and
P pieces. Claudio arranges all his pieces on his chessboard (each on one square) so
that 8 rows remain completely empty and each of the remaining rows has exactly 9
empty squares. Filippo arranges all of his pieces on his chessboard (each on one
square) so that 12 rows remain completely empty and each of the remaining has
exactly 6 empty squares. What is the ratio between C and R?
3 4 5
(A) , (B) 1, (C) , (D) , (E) 2.
4 3 4
20 Alberto sets a round table for 6 people and has 6 white plates and 6 black
plates. For each person, he arbitrarily sets a black or a white plate. In how many
different ways can he set the table? (Two settings that differs only by a rotation
are not considered different)
(A) 12, (B) 13, (C) 14, (D) 16, (E) 18.
√
137 + 3
21 What is the sixth decimal digit of ?
105
(A) 0, (B) 3, (C) 6, (D) 7, (E) 8.
22 Francesco invites his friends over to his house after school to study and to eat
a snack. He says, ”if there are few of us, we can study well; if there are many of
us, we will eat little”. Which of the following statements is certainly true,
according to Francesco?
(A) If we are few, we eat much; (B) to study well it is necessary to be few;
(C) if we do not study well, we are not few;
(D) if we eat little, we are many; (E) if we are many, we do not study well.
23 Two equilateral triangles share their barycentre, and one can be obtained from
the other by a rotation of 30 degrees. The area of their intersection is a percentage
of the total area of one triangle. This percentage is between:
(A) 50% and 60%, (B) 60% and 70%, (C) 70% and 80%,
(D) 80% and 90%, (E) 90% and 100%.
 7

24 A, B, C and D are four vertices of the cube

shown on the right, and P is the centre of the face
A C
that has A, B and C as vertices. The plane passing
through A, P and D divides the cube in two parts. P
What is the ratio between the volume of the part
that contains B and the part that contains C? D
(A) 1/2, (B) 1, (C) 3/2, (D) 2, (E) 3.
B
25 There are 9 students in a class and one of them, Tony, hangs out with a
different group of classmates every day. Every time, each member of the group
gives him one euro. How many euros will Tony have gained by the time he has
hung out with every possible group of classmates?
(A) 27 · 7, (B) 23 · 53 , (C) 210 , (D) 211 , (E) 28 · 32 .

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
C C C D E C D D C E C A B C D D D C A C D C C B C
Gara provinciale
11 February 2008
1 A gang of thieves wants to crack a bank’s safe. One of them has managed to get
the bank’s director drunk, and has found out that:
1. the combination consists of 5 digits from 0 to 9;
2. the combination in an even number;
3. exactly one of the 5 digits is odd;
4. in the combination there are exactly four different digits, the repeated digit is
even, and it appears in two non-consecutive positions.
Given this information, how many possible combinations must the thieves try?
(A) 3150 (B) 4500 (C) 5400 (D) 7200 (E) 9000.

2 So-poko is a new game played on a 203 × 203 grid. The

squares are coloured either black or white, forming
concentric frames. The outer frame is black, while the
central square is white (see a 7 × 7 example on the right).
What is the difference between the number of black
squares and the number of white squares?
(A) 103 (B) 203 (C) 207 (D) 303 (E) 407.
3 In an isosceles trapezoid ABCD, with AB being the
longest of the parallel sides, the diagonals are divided by D C
their intersection point O in parts whose ratio is 1:3. O
Knowing that the area of the triangle BOC is 15, what is
the area of the trapezoid? A B
(A) 60 (B) 75 (C) 80 (D) 90 (E) 105.
4 Francesco and Andrea decide to consult the mathematical oracle to know whether
they have pairs (x, y) of lucky (real) numbers. To determine these pairs, the oracle
asks both Franco and Andrea their day (d) and month (m) of birth, then solves the
following simultaneous equations:
(
13x − y = 181
.
gx − my = 362

The oracle responds that Andrea does not have a pair of lucky numbers, while
Franco has infinite pairs. Which of the following statements is true?
(A) both Francesco and Andrea were born in spring
(B) both Francesco and Andrea were born in summer
(C) both Francesco and Andrea were born in fall
(D) both Francesco and Andrea were born in winter
(E) Francesco and Andrea were born in different seasons.
10

5 Let a0 , a1 , a2 , . . . be integers such that a0 = 19, a1 = 25, and an+2 = 2an+1 − an

for each n ≥ 0. Which is the smallest integer i > 0 for which ai is a multiple of 19?
(A) 19 (B) 25 (C) 38 (D) 44 (E) 50.
6 The island of Neverland has 2008 inhabitants, divided into three clans: knaves,
who always lie, knights, who always tell the truth, and spies, who alternate
between lying one day and telling the truth the next. Laura visits the island for
two days. On the first day, she meets all the inhabitants. The first says, ”there is
exactly one knave on the island”; the second says, ”there are exactly two knaves
on the island”, and so on, until the 2008th says, ”there are exactly 2008 knaves on
the island.” On the second day, she talks to all the inhabitants again, in the same
order. The first says, ”there is exactly one knight on the island”; the second says,
”there are exactly two knights on the island”, and so on, until the last one says,
”there are exactly 2008 knights on the island.” How many spies are there on the
island?
(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 1004 (D) 2006
(E) the answer cannot be determined with the given information.
7 How many possible ways are there to arrange the digits 1, 2, 4, 7, 9 to form a
five-digit multiple of 11?
(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 10 (D) 12 (E) 24.

8 Within a circle with radius 1, three circular arcs are

drawn, each with radius 1 and centred in the vertices of
an equilateral triangle incribed in the circle. What is
the area
√ of the coloured√surface? √
3 3 3 3 3
(A) π (B) π − (C) π −
4√ 4 2
3 3
(D) (E) 6 − π.
2
9 Eleonora plays with a die and a (stopped) clock, which at the beginning reads 12
o’ clock. She throws the die, and advances the clock by the number of hours shown
on the die. She repeats this process 2008 times. What is the probability that the
hour hand will be in a horizontal position when Eleonora has finished playing?
1 1 1 1
(A) 0 (B) (C) (D) (E) .
2008 1004 12 6
10 If x1 , x2 , x3 and x4 are the roots of the equation x4 − 2x3 − 7x2 − 2x + 1 = 0,
1 1 1 1
what is the value of + + + ?
x1 x2 x3 x4
1
(A) 1 (B) (C) 2 (D) 4 (E) 7.
2
 11

11 There are 10000 lightbulbs in a room, numbered starting from 1, and each
lightbulb can be turned on and off with a normal switch. All lightbulbs are
originally in the off position. All the switches denoted by a multiple of one are
flipped (i.e. all lightbulbs are turned on). Then, all the even-numbered switches
are flipped, then those denoted by multiples of 3, then those denoted by multiples
of four, and so on, until 10000 is reached. Which of the following lightbulbs will be
turned on at the end of the proceedings?
(A) the number 9405 (B) the number 9406 (C) the number 9407
(D) the number 9408 (E) the number 9409.
12 On a sunny day, a sphere is placed on the ground. The shadow it casts, from
the point where the sphere touches the ground, is 10 metres long. At the same
moment, a 1 metre stick placed vertically on the ground casts a shadow which is 2
metres long. What is the radius of the sphere?
5 √ √ √
(A) m (B) 9 − 4 5 m (C) 10 5 − 20 m (D) 8 10 − 23 m
2 √
(E) 6 − 15 m.
13 Find the largest two-digit number which satisfies the following conditions: a) it
is a prime number;
b) the number obtained by switching the two digits is also prime;
c) the product of the two digits is a prime number.

\ = 15◦ .
14 Let ABC be a triangle, where the angle in A is a right angle, and ABC
Let H be the point where the altitude through A meets BC, and let J, K be the
projections of H on AB and AC respectively. The area of the quadrilateral AJHK
measures 45 cm2 . What is the product BJ · CK, in cm2 ?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
B E C D A B D D E C E C 71 45
12

15 Find all pairs (x, y) of real numbers which satisfy the following equation
4 1 1
= + .
x+y x y
Justify your answer.
16 Let AB be a chord of a circle and let P be a point lying on AB such that
AP = 2P B. Let DE be the chord which passes through P and is perpendicular to
AB. Show that the midpoint of AP is the orthocentre of ADE.

17 a) Given seven positive integers a, b, c, d, e, f , g such that the products ab,

bc, cd, de, ef , f g, ga are all perfect cubes, show that a, b, c, d, e, f , g are also all
perfect cubes.
b) Is it always the case that, given six positive integers a, b, c, d, e, f such that
the products ab, bc, cd, de, ef , f a are all perfect cubes, a, b, c, d, e, f are also all
perfect cubes?

Sketch of proof of 15: Any pair (x, y) sat- DEB are equal, one sees that, for Q the inter-
isfying the condition cannot have either compo- section of EM and AD, the triangles M P E and
nent 0. So the condition is equivalent to the ra- M QA are similar.
y 4 1
tio m = satisfying 1+m = 1+ m , i.e. m = 1.
x
Sketch of proof of 17: (a) Since
(ab)(cd)(ef )(ga)
(bc)(de)(f g)
= a2 is a product of perfect
Sketch of proof of 16: For M the mid- cubes, so is a2 , hence the same for a.
point of AP , the rectangular triangles BP E and (b) It is not always the case as, for instance, for
M P E are equal. Since the angles DAB and a = c = e = 2 and b = d = f = 4.
XXIV Olimpiadi Italiane della Matematica
Cesenatico, 9 May 2008
1 Let ABCDEF GHILM N be a regular dodecagon, let P be the intersection point
of the diagonals AF and DH. Let S be the circle which passes through A and H,
and which has the same radius of the circumcircle of the dodecagon, but is different
from the circumcircle of the dodecagon. Prove that:
1. P lies on S;
2. the centre of S lies on the diagonal HN ;
3. the length of P E equals the length of the side of the dodecagon.
2 Let n ≥ 2 be an integer. We want to colour all squares of a n × n chessboard red
or blue in such a way that every 2 × 2 subsquare of the chessboard contains exactly
two red squares and two blue squares.
How many colourings are possible?
NOTE: two colourings which are obtained from one another by a rotation or a symmetry
of the chessboard are considered to be distinct.
3 Find all functions f : Z → R that verify the following two conditions:
• for each pair of integers (m, n) with m < n one has f (m) < f (n);
• for each pair of integers (m, n) there exists an integer k such that f (m)−f (n) =
f (k).
4 Find all triples (a, b, c) of positive integers such that

a2 + 2b+1 = 3c .

5 Let ABC be a triangle, all of whose angles are greater than 45◦ and smaller than
90◦ .
(a) Prove that one can fit three squares inside ABC in such a way that
• the three squares are equal
• the three squares have a common vertex K inside the triangle
• any two squares have no common point but K
• each square has two opposite vertices on the boundary of ABC, while
all the other points of the square are inside ABC.
(b) Let P be the centre of the square which has AB as a side and is outside ABC.
Let rC be the line symmetric to CK with respect to the bisector of BCA.\
Prove that P lies on rC .
6 Francesca and Giorgia play the following game. On a table there are initially
coins piled up in some stacks, possibly in different numbers in each stack, but with at
least one coin. In turn, each player chooses exactly one move between the following:
• she chooses a stack that has an even non-zero number of coins 2k and breaks
it into two identical stacks of coins, i.e. each stack contains k coins;
14

• she removes from the table the stacks with coins in an odd number, i.e. all
such in odd number, not just those with a specific odd number.
At each turn, a player necessarily moves: if one choice is not available, then she
must take the other.
Francesca moves first. The one who removes the last coin from the table wins.
1. If initially there is only one stack of coins on the table, and this stack contains
20082008 coins, which of the players has a winning strategy?
2. For which initial configurations of stacks of coins does Francesca have a win-
ning strategy?

Solution to 1: Let T be the circumcircle of the dodecagon, let O be its centre.

Let OS be the centre of S and let Q be the midpoint of AH. Points O and OS are
on the axis of AH, and symmetric with respect to it since their distances for AH
are equal, as well as symmetric with respect to Q. Point O is the midpoint of AG,
\ = 90◦ . So triangles AQO and AHG are similar,
which is a diameter of T , and AHG
1
and QO = 2 HG. Hence OS O = 2QO = HG. Therefore S is the translate of T by
~
the vector GH.
(b) Since HL = N L and GL = AL, the lines HN and AG are perpendicular to
LO, hence parallel. Thus the line HN is the translate of AG by GH.~ Therefore the
centre of S is on HN . (a) and (c) It is enough to show that P is the translate of E
~ The translate of P by HG
by GH. ~ is the intersection of the translates of the lines
AF and BD. Similarly to (b), one proves that the translates of the lines AF and
DH by HG ~ are the diagonals BE and GE, whose interseciton is E.

Solution to 2: The possible colourings are 2n+1 − 2.

Indeed, there are two main patterns of colourings of the first row: either the two
colours alternate on all squares in the first row or two adjacent squares are the same
colour. In the second case, the choices of colouring on all other squares are forced;
in the first case, in each row all the coloured squares could either match the coloured
squared in the previous row or all alternate the colours. Thus, in the first case, the
possible colourings are 2n , in the second case, the possible colourings are 2n − 2.
Solution to 3: The functions are precisely those of the form f (z) = (z − z0 )a,
with parameters z0 ∈ Z and a ∈ R+ .
First note that every such function satisfies the two conditions. Next, consider any
function satisfying the two condition: since f (0) − f (0) = 0 there is an integer z0
such that f (z0 ) = 0 for the second condition. Let a = f (z0 + 1) and consider the
auxiliary function g(z) = f (z + z0 ), which also satisfies the two conditions. Hence,
for any z, there is a number k such that g(z + 1) − g(1) = g(k) necessarily with
k ≤ z as g(1) > 0. Also, g(z + 1) − g(z) > 0; so there is a numbers h > 0 such that
 15

g(z + 1) − g(z) = g(h) ≥ g(1), thus proving that g(z + 1) − g(z) = g(1) = a. Two
easy arguments by induction now prove that g(z) = zg(1) = za for any z ∈ Z.
Solution to 4: The triples are (1, 2, 2) and (7, 4, 4).
Indeed, a must be odd, say a = 2a1 + 1, and 4|2b+1 | = 3c − a2 = 3c − 1 − 4a1 (a1 + 1).
Pc−1
Hence 4|3c − 1 = 2 i=0 3i and c, the number of odd summands which add up to
an even number, is even, say c = 2c1 . Thus, for a unique choice of x > y such that
b + 1 = x + y, it is 3c1 + a = 2x and 3c1 − a = 2y . Hence 3c1 = 2x−1 + 2y−1 , and
2y−1 must be odd, i.e. 1. So y = 1, x = b, and 3c1 = 2b−1 + 1. There is no solution
with b = 1, there is one solution for b = 2, producing (a, b, c) = (1, 2, 2); for b ≥ 3,
one has that 4|3c1 −1 . Like before, one obtains that c1 must be 2 yielding the oter
solution (a, b, c) = (7, 4, 4).

Solution to 5: (a) Suppose

A\ 1 KA2 , B1 KB2 and C1 KC2
\ \
determine an acceptable con-
figuration, i.e. they add up to
a right angle, let A be the
intersection of the lines B1 B2
and C1 C2 , and let KA be the
midpoint of A1 A2 , and set B
and KB , and C and KC simi-
larly. It follows that A\
1 KA2 =
\ − π and similarly for the
2BAC 2
angles in the vertices B and C.
Thus, given a triangle ABC, one can construct a similar triangle in which to inscribe
three fixed equal squares as required, and then transform the configuration by an
appropriate similarity.
(b) The request is to show that KCB\ = P[ CA. To that, note that B\ 1 A2 B =
π
4 + KA
\ A
2 1 = π − BAC,
\ hence the quadrilateral ABA B
2 1 is cyclic. It follows that
π
CA2 B1 and CBA are similar. Moreove, since KB1 A2 = KA2 B1 = 4 , K is the
\ \
centre of the square on A2 B1 which is external to CA2 B1 .
Solution to 6: Every game ends since at each move either the total number of
coins decreases or the list of stacks of an even number of coins decreases with respect
to the lexicographic order and the number of such possible lists, for the given game,
is finite.
Francesca has a winning strategy if and only if, before her move, the sum δ+A+δAB
is odd, where A is the number of stacks with a multiple of 4 of coins, B is the number
of stacks with an odd multiple of 2 of coins, and δ is 1 when there is at least a stack
with an odd number of coins, 0 otherwise.
Thus, in case there is a single stack of 20082008 coins, the sum δ + A + δAB for the
16

initial configuration is odd, and Francesca has a winning strategy.

Indeed, the sum δ + A + δAB before the last move is 1 (as δ = 1, A = 0, B = 0);
if a player has a configuration of coins with an odd sum δ + A + δAB, then she
can always play in such a way as to leave a configuration of coins with an even
sum δ + A + δAB; and if a player has a configuration of coins with an even sum
δ + A + δAB, then she can only play leaving a configuration of coins with an odd
sum δ + A + δAB.
So suppose a player has a configuration of coins with an odd sum δ + A + δAB
before her move.
• if δ = 0, then A is odd. The player splits a column with 4k coins into two
stack: δ remains 0, and A decreases by 1 and is now even.
• if δ = 1 and A is even, the player removes the stacks with coins in an odd
number: δ is now 0.
• if δ = 1 and A is odd, then B is odd. The player splits a stack with 2d coins,
d odd: δ and A remain unchanged, B increases by 1 and is now even.
Suppose now that a player has a configuration of coins with an even sum δ+A+δAB
before her move.
• if δ = 0, then A is even. Splitting a stack with 4k coins changes only the
parity of A; splitting a stack with 2d coins (if there is any), d odd, changes
only the parity of δ.
• if δ = 1, then A is odd and B is even. Removing the stacks with coins in
an odd number changes only the parity of δ; splitting a stack with 4k coins
changes only the parity of A, splitting a stack with 2d coins (if there is any),
d odd, changes only the parity of B.
Italian Team Selection Test
Pisa, 23-24 May 2008
Day 1
1 Let n > 1 be an integer. Let p(x) be a polynomial of degree n with integer
coefficients. Let A be a set of n + 1 consecutive integers. Prove that there exists
a ∈ A such that p(x) 6= a for every integer x.
2 Show that for every positive integer a there exists a positive integer n for which
the following properties hold:
• The decimal representation of a coincides with the first part on the left of the
decimal representation of n;
• if we let m be the integer obtained from n by moving from left to right the
part which contains the digits of a, then n = a · m.
For example, for a = 4, take n = 4 10256. Then m = 10256 4 and

410256 = 4 · 102564.

For a = 58, we can let n = 58 0100017244352474564. Thus, moving the digits 58

and leaving out the leading 0, m = 100017244352474564 58 , and

580100017244352474564 = 58 · 10001724435247456458.

3 Let ABC be an acute triangle, let AM be a median, and let BK and CL be two
altitudes (so that M ∈ BC, K ∈ AC, L ∈ AB). Let s be the line perpendicular to
AM which passes through A. Let E be the intersection point of s and CL, and F
the intersection point of s and BK.
(a) Show that A is the midpoint of EF .
(b) Let Γ be the circle which passes through the vertices of the triangle M EF ,
and let Γ1 and Γ2 be any two circles with two points of intersection P and Q,
which are tangent to the segment EF and the arc EF of Γ which does not
contain M . Show that M , P , Q lie on the same line.

Day 2
4 Let ABC be a scalene triangle. Let X and Y be points on AB and AC respectively
such that BX = CY . Let M be the midpoint of BC, N the midpoint of XY , and
K the intersection point of XY and BC.
Show that, as X and Y move along AB and AC, the circumscribed circles of the
triangles KM N have a common intersection other than M .
5 Let a and b be positive integers. Let M be an (2z + 1) × (2b + 1) matrix with
(2z + 1)(2b + 1) distinct real numbers. An entry of M is said to be special if either
of the following properties hold:
• it is the greatest number in its row, and it is the median of its column (i.e. in
its column there are as many smaller elments as there are greater elements);
18

• it is the greatest number in its column, and it is the median of its row.
How many special elements can M have at most?
6 Show that for every function f : (0, +∞) → (0, +∞) there are real numbers x > 0
and y > 0 such that
f (x + y) < f (x) + yf (f (x)).