SIMON MARAIS

MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2020 SESSION B: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.
Each problem is worth 7 points.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

• This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed to assist in answering the questions.
• For participants sitting the competition remotely, an electronic device such as a PC,
laptop, phone or tablet may be used during the competition to access the questions.
• Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen on white or light-coloured
paper, or on a tablet.
• In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.
• In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “B3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.
• If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID
number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.
• Students are strongly encouraged to submit all rough work pages as they may lead
to partial credit. Students are also allowed to submit more than one attempted
solution per problem. All pages for a single problem (including rough work and
multiple solution attempts) should be numbered in one sequence.
• After the completion of the session all participants should scan their work and
convert the scan into a single PDF file. This PDF file, labelled by your competition
ID number and session (as in S12345 B (for singles) or P31416 B (for pairs),
should be e-mailed to your local coordinator within 30 minutes of the completion
of the session.

Special instructions for pairs

• A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.
• Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

c 2020 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2020 SESSION B: PROBLEMS

B1. Let M be the set of 5 × 5 real matrices of rank 3. Given a matrix A in M, the set
of columns of A has 25 − 1 = 31 nonempty subsets. Let kA be the number of these
subsets that are linearly independent.
Determine the maximum and minimum values of kA , as A varies over M.
The rank of a matrix is the dimension of the span of its columns.

B2. For each positive integer k, let Sk be the set of real numbers that can be expressed
in the form
1 1 1
+ + ··· + ,
n1 n2 nk
where n1 , n2 , . . . , nk are positive integers.
Prove that Sk does not contain an infinite strictly increasing sequence.

B3. A cat is trying to catch a mouse in the nonnegative quadrant

N = {(x1 , x2 ) ∈ R2 : x1 , x2 ≥ 0}.
At
√ time t = 0 the cat is at (1, 1) and the mouse is at (0, 0). The cat moves with speed
2 such that its position c(t) = (c1 (t), c2 (t)) is continuous, and differentiable except
at finitely many points; while the mouse moves with speed 1 such that its position
m(t) = (m1 (t), m2 (t)) is also continuous, and differentiable except at finitely many
points. Thus
c(0) = (1, 1), m(0) = (0, 0);
c(t) and m(t) are continuous functions of t such that c(t), m(t) ∈ N for all t ≥ 0;
the derivatives c0 (t) = (c01 (t), c02 (t)) and m0 (t) = (m01 (t), m02 (t)) each exist for all but
finitely many t; and
(c01 (t))2 + (c02 (t))2 = 2, (m01 (t))2 + (m02 (t))2 = 1,
whenever the respective derivative exists.
At each time t the cat knows both the mouse’s position m(t) and velocity m0 (t).
Show that, no matter how the mouse moves, the cat can catch it by time t = 1;
that is, show that the cat can move such that c(τ ) = m(τ ) for some τ ∈ [0, 1].

B4. The following problem is open in the sense that no solution is currently known to
part (b). A proof of part (a) will be awarded 3 points.
Let n ≥ 2 be an integer, and let Pn be a regular polygon with n2 − n + 1 vertices.
We say that n is taut if it is possible to choose n of the vertices of Pn such that the
pairwise distances between the chosen vertices are all distinct.
(a) Show that if n − 1 is prime then n is taut.
(b) Which integers n ≥ 2 are taut?

c 2020 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2020 SESSION A: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.
Each problem is worth 7 points.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

• This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed to assist in answering the questions.
• For participants sitting the competition remotely, an electronic device such as a PC,
laptop, phone or tablet may be used during the competition to access the questions.
• Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen on white or light-coloured
paper, or on a tablet.
• In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.
• In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “A3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.
• If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID
number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.
• Students are strongly encouraged to submit all rough work pages as they may lead
to partial credit. Students are also allowed to submit more than one attempted
solution per problem. All pages for a single problem (including rough work and
multiple solution attempts) should be numbered in one sequence.
• After the completion of the session all participants should scan their work and
convert the scan into a single PDF file. This PDF file, labelled by your competition
ID number and session (as in S12345 A (for singles) or P31416 A (for pairs),
should be e-mailed to your local coordinator within 30 minutes of the completion
of the session.

Special instructions for pairs

• A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.
• Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

c 2020 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2020 SESSION A: PROBLEMS

A1. There are 1001 points in the plane such that no three are collinear. The points are
joined by 1001 line segments such that each point is an endpoint of exactly two of
the line segments.
Prove that there does not exist a straight line in the plane that intersects each of
the 1001 line segments in an interior point.
An interior point of a line segment is a point of the line segment that is not one of
the two endpoints.

A2. Fiona has a deck of cards labelled 1 to n, laid out in a row on the table in order
from 1 to n from left to right. Her goal is to arrange them into a single pile, through
a series of steps of the following form:

If at some stage the cards are in m piles, she chooses 1 ≤ k < m and
arranges the cards into k piles by picking up pile k + 1 and putting it on
pile 1; picking up pile k + 2 and putting it on pile 2; and so on, working
from left to right and cycling back through as necessary.

She repeats this process until the cards are all in a single pile, and then stops. So for
example, if n = 7 and she chooses k = 3 at the first step she will have the following
three piles:
7
4 5 6
1 2 3
If she then chooses k = 1 at the second step, she finishes with the cards in a single
pile with the cards ordered 6352741 from top to bottom.
How many different final piles can Fiona end up with?

A3. Determine the set of all real numbers α that can be expressed in the form
∞
X xn+1
α= ,
n=0
x3n

where x0 , x1 , x2 , . . . is an increasing sequence of real numbers with x0 = 1.

A4. A regular spatial pentagon consists of five points P1 , P2 , P3 , P4 , P5 in R3 such that

|Pi Pi+1 | = |Pj Pj+1 | and ∠Pi−1 Pi Pi+1 = ∠Pj−1 Pj Pj+1 for all 1 ≤ i, j ≤ 5, where
P0 = P5 and P6 = P1 . A regular spatial pentagon is planar if there is a plane
passing through all five points P1 , P2 , P3 , P4 , P5 .
Show that every regular spatial pentagon is planar.

c 2020 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2019 SESSION B: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.

Each problem is worth 7 points.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

• This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed.

• Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen, on the A4/Letter paper
provided. Write on only one side of each sheet of paper, leaving margins in case
scanning is required.

• In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.

• In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “B3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.

• If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID

number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.

• Students are strongly encouraged to submit all rough work pages as they may lead
to partial credit. Students are also allowed to submit more than one attempted
solution per problem. All pages for a single problem (including rough work and
multiple solution attempts) should be numbered in one sequence.

Special instructions for pairs

• A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.

• Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

c 2019 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2019 SESSION B: PROBLEMS

B1. Determine all pairs (a, b) of real numbers with a ≤ b that maximise the integral
Z b
ecos x 380 − x − x2 dx.


a

B2. For each odd prime p, prove that the integer

 
(p − 1)!
1! + 2! + 3! + · · · + p! −
e
is divisible by p.
(Here, e denotes the base of the natural logarithm and bxc denotes the largest integer
that is less than or equal to x.)

B3. Let G be a finite simple graph and let k be the largest number of vertices of any
clique in G. Suppose that we label each vertex of G with a non-negative real number,
so that the sum of all such labels is 1. Define the value of an edge to be the product
of the labels of the two vertices at its ends. Define the value of a labelling to be the
sum of the values of the edges.
k−1
Prove that the maximum possible value of a labelling of G is 2k
.
(A finite simple graph is a graph with finitely many vertices, in which each edge
connects two distinct vertices and no two edges connect the same two vertices. A
clique in a graph is a set of vertices in which any two are connected by an edge.)

B4. The following problem is open in the sense that no solution is currently known to
part (b). A proof of part (a) will be awarded 3 points.
A binary string is a sequence, each of whose terms is 0 or 1. A set B of binary
strings is defined inductively according to the following rules.
• The binary string 1 is in B.
• If s1 , s2 , . . . , sn is in B with n odd, then both s1 , s2 , . . . , sn , 0 and 0, s1 , s2 , . . . , sn
are in B.
• If s1 , s2 , . . . , sn is in B with n even, then both s1 , s2 , . . . , sn , 1 and 1, s1 , s2 , . . . , sn
are in B.
• No other binary strings are in B.
For each positive integer n, let bn be the number of binary strings in B of length n.

(a) Prove that there exist constants c1 , c2 > 0 and 1.6 < λ1 , λ2 < 1.9 such that
c1 λn1 < bn < c2 λn2 for all positive integers n.
p p
(b) Determine lim inf n bn and lim sup n bn .
n→∞ n→∞

c 2019 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2019 SESSION A: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.

Each problem is worth 7 points.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

• This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed.

• Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen, on the A4/Letter paper
provided. Write on only one side of each sheet of paper, leaving margins in case
scanning is required.

• In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.

• In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “A3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.

• If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID

number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.

• Students are strongly encouraged to submit all rough work pages as they may lead
to partial credit. Students are also allowed to submit more than one attempted
solution per problem. All pages for a single problem (including rough work and
multiple solution attempts) should be numbered in one sequence.

Special instructions for pairs

• A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.

• Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

c 2019 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2019 SESSION A: PROBLEMS

A1. Consider the sequence s1 , s2 , s3 , . . . of positive integers defined by

• s1 = 2, and
• for each positive integer n, sn+1 is equal to sn plus the product of the prime
factors of sn .

The first terms of the sequence are 2, 4, 6, 12, 18, 24.

Prove that the product of the 2019 smallest primes is a term of the sequence.

A2. Consider the operation ∗ that takes a pair of integers and returns an integer accord-
ing to the rule
a ∗ b = a × (b + 1).

(a) For each positive integer n, determine all permutations a1 , a2 , . . . , an of the set
{1, 2, . . . , n} that maximise the value of
(· · · ((a1 ∗ a2 ) ∗ a3 ) ∗ · · · ∗ an−1 ) ∗ an .

(b) For each positive integer n, determine all permutations b1 , b2 , . . . , bn of the set
{1, 2, . . . , n} that maximise the value of
b1 ∗ (b2 ∗ (b3 ∗ · · · ∗ (bn−1 ∗ bn ) · · · )) .

A3. For some positive integer n, a coin will be flipped n times to obtain a sequence of
n heads and tails. For each flip of the coin, there is probability p of obtaining a
head and probability 1 − p of obtaining a tail, where 0 < p < 1 is a rational number.
Kim writes all 2n possible sequences of n heads and tails in two columns, with some
sequences in the left column and the remaining sequences in the right column. Kim
would like the sequence produced by the coin flips to appear in the left column with
probability 21 .
Determine all pairs (n, p) for which this is possible.

A4. Suppose that x1 , x2 , x3 , . . . is a strictly decreasing sequence of positive real numbers

such that the series x1 + x2 + x3 + · · · diverges.
Is it necessarily true that the series
∞  
X 1
min xn ,
n=2
n log n

diverges?

c 2019 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2018 SESSION B: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.

Each problem is worth 7 points.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

• This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed.

• Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen, on the A4/Letter paper
provided. Write on only one side of each sheet of paper, leaving margins in case
scanning is required.

• In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.

• In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “B3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.

• If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID

number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.

• You are permitted to submit more than one attempted solution to a problem, but
the pages should all be numbered in one sequence.

Special instructions for pairs

• A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.

• Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

c 2018 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2018 SESSION B: PROBLEMS

B1. For all positive integers n and real numbers x1 , x2 , . . . , xn , prove that
n X
X n
min(i, j) xi xj ≥ 0.
i=1 j=1

(We define min(a, b) = a if a ≤ b and min(a, b) = b if a > b.)

√ √
B2. Let S be the set of real numbers that can be expressed as m − n, where m and n
are positive integers.
Do there exist real numbers a < b such that the open interval (a, b) contains only
finitely many elements of S?

B3. Three spiders try to catch a beetle in a game. They are all initially positioned on
the edges of a regular dodecahedron whose edges have length 1. At some point in
time, they start moving continuously along the edges of the dodecahedron. The
beetle and one of the spiders move with maximum speed 1, while the remaining
1
two spiders move with maximum speed 2018 . Each player always knows their own
position and the position of every other player. A player can turn around at any
moment and can react to the behaviour of other players instantaneously. The spiders
can communicate to decide on a strategy before and during the game. If any spider
occupies the same position as the beetle at some time, then the spiders win the game.
Prove that the spiders can win the game, regardless of the initial positions of all
players and regardless of how the beetle moves.
(A regular dodecahedron is a convex polyhedron with twelve faces, each of which is a
pentagon with equal side lengths and equal angles. Three faces meet at each vertex.)

B4. The following problem is open in the sense that no solution is currently known. An
explicit expression with proof for the known case of |A(5, n)| will be awarded 2 points.
Further progress on the problem may be awarded more points.
For positive integers m and n, let A(m, n) be the set of 2 × mn matrices M with
entries from the set {1, 2, . . . , m} such that
• each of the numbers 1, 2, . . . , m appears exactly 2n times;
• M1,1 ≤ M1,2 ≤ · · · ≤ M1,mn and M2,1 ≤ M2,2 ≤ · · · ≤ M2,mn ; and
• M1,j < M2,j for j = 1, 2, . . . , mn.
Determine |A(m, n)|.

c 2018 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2018 SESSION A: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.

Each problem is worth 7 points.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

• This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed.

• Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen, on the A4/Letter paper
provided. Write on only one side of each sheet of paper, leaving margins in case
scanning is required.

• In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.

• In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “A3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.

• If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID

number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.

• You are permitted to submit more than one attempted solution to a problem, but
the pages should all be numbered in one sequence.

Special instructions for pairs

• A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.

• Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

c 2018 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2018 SESSION A: PROBLEMS

A1. Call a rectangle dominant if it is similar to a 2 × 1 rectangle.

For which integers n ≥ 5 is it possible to tile a square with n dominant rectangles,
which are not necessarily congruent to each other?

A2. Ada and Byron play a game. First, Ada chooses a non-zero real number a and
announces it. Then Byron chooses a non-zero real number b and announces it. Then
Ada chooses a non-zero real number c and announces it. Finally, Byron chooses a
quadratic polynomial whose three coefficients are a, b, c in some order.
(a) Suppose that Byron wins if the quadratic polynomial has a real root and Ada
wins otherwise. Determine which player has a winning strategy.
(b) Suppose that Ada wins if the quadratic polynomial has a real root and Byron
wins otherwise. Determine which player has a winning strategy.

A3. Let y(x) be the unique solution of the differential equation

dy y
= loge , where x > 0 and y > 0,
dx x
with the initial condition y(1) = 2018.
How many positive real numbers x satisfy the equation y(x) = 2000?

A4. For each positive integer n, consider a cinema with n seats in a row, numbered left
to right from 1 up to n. There is a cup holder between any two adjacent seats and
there is a cup holder on the right of seat n. So seat 1 is next to one cup holder,
while every other seat is next to two cup holders. There are n people, each holding
a drink, waiting in a line to sit down. In turn, each person chooses an available seat
uniformly at random and carries out the following.
• If they sit next to two empty cup holders, then they place their drink in the
left cup holder with probability 12 or in the right cup holder with probability 12 .
• If they sit next to one empty cup holder, then they place their drink in that
empty cup holder.
• If they sit next to zero empty cup holders, then they hold their drink in their
hands.
Let pn be the probability that all n people place their drink in a cup holder.
Determine p1 + p2 + p3 + · · · .

c 2018 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2017 SESSION B
INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.

Each problem is worth 7 points.

Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

• This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed.

• Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen, on the A4/Letter paper
provided. Write on only one side of each sheet of paper, leaving margins in case
scanning is required.

• In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.

• In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “B3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.

• You are permitted to submit more than one attempted solution to a problem, but
the pages should all be numbered in one sequence.

Special instructions for pairs

• A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.

• Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

c 2017 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2017 SESSION B
PROBLEMS

B1. Maryam labels each vertex of a tetrahedron with the sum of the lengths of the three
edges meeting at that vertex. She then observes that the labels at the four vertices
of the tetrahedron are all equal.
For each vertex of the tetrahedron, prove that the lengths of the three edges meeting
at that vertex are the three side lengths of a triangle.

B2. Determine all pairs (p, q) of positive integers such that p and q are prime, and
pq−1 + q p−1 is the square of an integer.

B3. Each point in the plane with integer coordinates is coloured red or blue such that
the following two properties hold.

• For any two red points, the line segment joining them does not contain any
blue points.
• For any two blue points that are distance 2 apart, the midpoint of the line
segment joining them is blue.

Prove that if three red points are the vertices of a triangle, then the interior of the
triangle does not contain any blue points.

B4. The following problem is open in the sense that no solution is currently known.
Progress on the problem may be awarded points. An example of progress on the
problem is a non-trivial bound on the sequence defined below.
For each integer n ≥ 2, consider a regular polygon with 2n sides, all of length 1.
Let C(n) denote the number of ways to tile this polygon using quadrilaterals whose
sides all have length 1.
Determine the limit inferior and the limit superior of the sequence defined by
1
log2 C(n).
n2

c 2017 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2017 SESSION A
INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.

Each problem is worth 7 points.

Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

• This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed.

• Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen, on the A4/Letter paper
provided. Write on only one side of each sheet of paper, leaving margins in case
scanning is required.

• In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.

• In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “A3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.

• You are permitted to submit more than one attempted solution to a problem, but
the pages should all be numbered in one sequence.

Special instructions for pairs

• A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.

• Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

c 2017 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
 SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2017 SESSION A
PROBLEMS

A1. The five sides and five diagonals of a regular pentagon are drawn on a piece of
paper. Two people play a game, in which they take turns to colour one of these ten
line segments. The first player colours line segments blue, while the second player
colours line segments red. A player cannot colour a line segment that has already
been coloured. A player wins if they are the first to create a triangle in their own
colour, whose three vertices are also vertices of the regular pentagon. The game is
declared a draw if all ten line segments have been coloured without a player winning.
Determine whether the first player, the second player, or neither player can force a
win.

A2. Let a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . be the sequence of real numbers defined by a1 = 1 and

1
am = for m ≥ 2.
a21 + a22 + · · · + a2m−1

Determine whether there exists a positive integer N such that

a1 + a2 + · · · + aN > 20172017 .

A3. For each positive integer n, let M (n) be the n × n matrix whose (i, j) entry is equal
to 1 if i + 1 is divisible by j, and equal to 0 otherwise.
Prove that M (n) is invertible if and only if n + 1 is square-free.
(An integer is square-free if it is not divisible by the square of an integer larger
than 1.)

A4. Let A1 , A2 , . . . , A2017 be the vertices of a regular polygon with 2017 sides.
Prove that there exists a point P in the plane of the polygon such that the vector
2017 # »
X P Ak
k # » 5
P Ak
k=1

is the zero vector.

# » # »
(The notation kXY k represents the length of the vector XY .)

c 2017 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
Second session exam paper for SMMC West

2022 PAPER C: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.
Each problem is worth 7 points.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

ˆ This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed to assist in answering the questions. Tablets may be used
solely for writing worked solutions, with internet access switched off.
ˆ For participants sitting the exam off-site, an electronic device such as a PC, lap-
top, phone or tablet may be used during the competition for accessing the papers,
undergoing invigilation, writing and submitting solutions and (for pairs entrants)
communicating with the other member of the pair.
ˆ Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen on white or light-coloured
paper, or on a tablet.
ˆ In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.
ˆ In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “C3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.
ˆ If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID
number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.
ˆ Students are strongly encouraged to submit all rough work pages as they may lead
to partial credit. Students are also allowed to submit more than one attempted
solution per problem. All pages for a single problem (including rough work and
multiple solution attempts) should be numbered in one sequence.
ˆ After the completion of the session all participants should scan their work and
convert the scan into a single PDF file. This PDF file, labelled by your competition
ID number and the paper (as in S1234567C (for singles) or P3141593C (for
pairs)), should be e-mailed to your local coordinator within 30 minutes of the
completion of the session.

Special instructions for pairs

ˆ A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.
ˆ Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

© 2022 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
Second session exam paper for SMMC West

2022 PAPER C: PROBLEMS

C1. Let A and B be two fixed positive real numbers. The function f is defined by
 
A B
f (x, y) = min x, , y + ,
y x

for all pairs (x, y) of positive real numbers.

Determine the largest possible value of f (x, y).

C2. Determine whether the series ∞

X 1
n=1
n1+⌈sin n⌉
is convergent or divergent.
Here ⌈x⌉ denotes the least integer greater than or equal to x.

C3. A grasshopper is sitting on the number line. Initially, it is sitting at the number 0.
Each second it jumps one unit to the left or to the right, with equal probability.
The directions of the jumps are chosen independently of each other.
Let p denote the probability that, after 2022 jumps, the grasshopper is sitting at a
number divisible by 5. Determine whether p < 15 , p = 15 , or p > 15 .

C4. A machine is programmed to output a sequence of positive integers a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . . It

outputs the integers independently, one at a time, and at each step the probability
that it outputs the integer k is equal to 21k . The machine stops when it outputs an
integer that it has already output before.
Prove that the probability that the machine stops when it has output exactly n
integers is
(n − 1)! (2n − n − 1)
n .
Y
(2r − 1)
r=1

© 2022 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
Second session exam paper for SMMC East · First session exam paper for SMMC West

2022 PAPER B: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.
Each problem B1–B3 is worth 7 points. Points for problem B4 are as indicated.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

ˆ This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed to assist in answering the questions. Tablets may be used
solely for writing worked solutions, with internet access switched off.
ˆ For participants sitting the exam off-site, an electronic device such as a PC, lap-
top, phone or tablet may be used during the competition for accessing the papers,
undergoing invigilation, writing and submitting solutions and (for pairs entrants)
communicating with the other member of the pair.
ˆ Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen on white or light-coloured
paper, or on a tablet.
ˆ In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.
ˆ In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “B3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.
ˆ If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID
number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.
ˆ Students are strongly encouraged to submit all rough work pages as they may lead
to partial credit. Students are also allowed to submit more than one attempted
solution per problem. All pages for a single problem (including rough work and
multiple solution attempts) should be numbered in one sequence.
ˆ After the completion of the session all participants should scan their work and
convert the scan into a single PDF file. This PDF file, labelled by your competition
ID number and the paper (as in S1234567B (for singles) or P3141593B (for
pairs)), should be e-mailed to your local coordinator within 30 minutes of the
completion of the session.

Special instructions for pairs

ˆ A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.
ˆ Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

© 2022 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
Second session exam paper for SMMC East · First session exam paper for SMMC West

2022 PAPER B: PROBLEMS

B1. Let A > 1 be a real number. Determine all pairs (m, n) of positive integers for
which there exists a positive real number x such that (1 + x)m = (1 + Ax)n .

B2. Let a, b, and c be real numbers, and let P be the polynomial

P (x) = x6 + ax4 + bx2 + c.

Suppose that there is a unique circle Γ in the complex plane such that all of the
roots of P lie on Γ. Prove that b3 = a3 c.

B3. Ari and Sam are playing a game in which they take turns breaking a block of
chocolate in two and eating one of the pieces. At each stage of the game the block
of chocolate is a rectangle with integer side lengths. On each player’s turn, they
break the block of chocolate into two such rectangles along a horizontal or vertical
line, and eat the piece with smaller area. (If the two pieces have the same area they
may eat either one.) The game ends when the block of chocolate is a 1×1 rectangle,
and the winner is the last player to take their turn breaking the chocolate in two.
At the start of the game the block of chocolate is a 58 × 2022 rectangle. If Ari goes
first, which player has a winning strategy?

B4. The following problem is open in the sense that the answer to part (b) is not currently
known. A solution to part (a) will be awarded 7 points. Up to 7 additional points
may be awarded for progress on part (b).
Let a0 , a1 , a2 , . . . and b0 , b1 , b2 , . . . be two sequences of positive integers, satisfying
a0 b0 ≥ 600 and

an+1 = an + 2 · bbn /20c,

bn+1 = bn + 3 · ban /30c,

for all n ≥ 0.

(a) Prove that there exists a nonnegative integer N such that

−13 ≤ an − bn ≤ 23,

for all n ≥ N .
(b) Must there exist a nonnegative integer n such that an = bn ?

Here bxc denotes the greatest integer less than or equal to x.

© 2022 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
First session exam paper for SMMC East

2022 PAPER A: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.

Each problem is worth 7 points.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

ˆ This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed to assist in answering the questions. Tablets may be used
solely for writing worked solutions, with internet access switched off.
ˆ For participants sitting the exam off-site, an electronic device such as a PC, lap-
top, phone or tablet may be used during the competition for accessing the papers,
undergoing invigilation, writing and submitting solutions and (for pairs entrants)
communicating with the other member of the pair.
ˆ Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen on white or light-coloured
paper, or on a tablet.
ˆ In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.
ˆ In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “A3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.
ˆ If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID
number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.
ˆ Students are strongly encouraged to submit all rough work pages as they may lead
to partial credit. Students are also allowed to submit more than one attempted
solution per problem. All pages for a single problem (including rough work and
multiple solution attempts) should be numbered in one sequence.
ˆ After the completion of the session all participants should scan their work and
convert the scan into a single PDF file. This PDF file, labelled by your competition
ID number and the paper (as in S1234567A (for singles) or P3141593A (for
pairs)), should be e-mailed to your local coordinator within 30 minutes of the
completion of the session.

Special instructions for pairs

ˆ A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.
ˆ Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

© 2022 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
First session exam paper for SMMC East

2022 PAPER A: PROBLEMS

A1. Let ABCD be a unit square, and let P be a point inside triangle ABC. Let E and
F be the points on AB and AD, respectively, such that AEP F is a rectangle. Let
x and y denote the lengths of AE and AF , respectively.
Determine a two-variable polynomial f (x, y) with the property that the area of
AEP F is greater than the area of each of the quadrilaterals EBCP and F P CD if
and only if f (x, y) > 0.

A2. Let n be a positive integer, and let S be a set with 2n elements. Let A1 , A2 , . . . , An
be randomly and independently chosen subsets of S, where each possible subset of
S is chosen with equal probability. Let Pn be the probability that

A1 ∪ A2 ∪ · · · ∪ An = S and A1 ∩ A2 ∩ · · · ∩ An = ∅.
1
Prove that lim Pn = .
n→∞ e2

A3. Let 0 < a < 1 be a fixed real number. Show that there are at least two values of x
in the interval (0, 1) such that

x
π sin πt
Z      
2 2 2
sin + arcsin arcsin t − 2t dt =
0 2 π π
π sin πa
      
1 2 2 2
a − arcsin arcsin a sin −a .
2 π π 2

A4. Let n be a positive integer, and let q ≥ 3 be an odd integer such that every prime
factor of q is larger than n. Prove that
n
1 Y
(q i − 1)
n! (q − 1)n i=1

q−1
is an integer that has no prime factor in common with .
2

© 2022 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
Second session exam paper for SMMC East · Only exam paper for SMMC West

SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2021 SESSION B: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.
Each problem B1–B3 is worth 7 points. Points for problem B4 are as given.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

ˆ This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed to assist in answering the questions. Tablets may be used
solely for writing worked solutions, with internet access switched off.
ˆ For participants sitting the exam off-site, an electronic device such as a PC, lap-
top, phone or tablet may be used during the competition for accessing the papers,
undergoing invigilation, writing and submitting solutions and (for pairs entrants)
communicating with the other member of the pair.
ˆ Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen on white or light-coloured
paper, or on a tablet.
ˆ In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.
ˆ In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “B3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.
ˆ If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID
number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.
ˆ Students are strongly encouraged to submit all rough work pages as they may lead
to partial credit. Students are also allowed to submit more than one attempted
solution per problem. All pages for a single problem (including rough work and
multiple solution attempts) should be numbered in one sequence.
ˆ After the completion of the session all participants should scan their work and
convert the scan into a single PDF file. This PDF file, labelled by your competition
ID number and session (as in S1234567 B (for singles) or P3141593 B (for pairs),
should be e-mailed to your local coordinator within 30 minutes of the completion
of the session.

Special instructions for pairs

ˆ A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.
ˆ Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

© 2021 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
Second session exam paper for SMMC East · Only exam paper for SMMC West

SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2021 SESSION B: PROBLEMS

B1. Let n ≥ 2 be an integer, and let O be the n × n matrix whose entries are all equal
to 0. Two distinct entries of the matrix are chosen uniformly at random, and those
two entries are changed from 0 to 1. Call the resulting matrix A.
Determine the probability that A2 = O, as a function of n.

B2. Let n be a positive integer. There are n lamps, each with a switch that changes
the lamp from on to off, or from off to on, each time it is pressed. The lamps are
initially all off.
You are going to press the switches in a series of rounds. In the first round, you are
going to press exactly 1 switch; in the second round, you are going to press exactly
2 switches; and so on, so that in the kth round you are going to press exactly k
switches. In each round you will press each switch at most once. Your goal is to
finish a round with all of the lamps switched on.
Determine for which n you can achieve this goal.

B3. Determine all functions f : R → R that satisfy the following two properties.
Z b
(i) The Riemann integral f (t) dt exists for all real numbers a < b.
a
(ii) For every real number x and every integer n ≥ 1 we have
1
Z x+ n
n
f (x) = f (t) dt.
2 1
x− n

B4. The following problem is open in the sense that the answer to part (b) is not currently
known. A proof of part (a) will be awarded 5 points. Up to 7 additional points may
be awarded for progress on part (b).
Let p(x) be a polynomial of degree d with coefficients belonging to the set of rational
numbers Q. Suppose that, for each 1 ≤ k ≤ d − 1, p(x) and its kth derivative p(k) (x)
have a common root in Q; that is, there exists rk ∈ Q such that p(rk ) = p(k) (rk ) = 0.

(a) Prove that if d is prime then there exist constants a, b, c ∈ Q such that

p(x) = c(ax + b)d .

(b) For which integers d ≥ 2 does the conclusion of part (a) hold?

© 2021 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2
First session exam paper for SMMC East

SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2021 SESSION A: INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed: 3 hours, with no additional reading time.
Each problem is worth 7 points.
Partial credit may be awarded for an incomplete solution or progress towards a solution.

Instructions for all contestants

ˆ This is a closed-book examination. No notes, books, calculators, electronic devices

or other aids are allowed to assist in answering the questions. Tablets may be used
solely for writing worked solutions, with internet access switched off.
ˆ For participants sitting the exam off-site, an electronic device such as a PC, lap-
top, phone or tablet may be used during the competition for accessing the papers,
undergoing invigilation, writing and submitting solutions and (for pairs entrants)
communicating with the other member of the pair.
ˆ Write your solutions in English, using a black or blue pen on white or light-coloured
paper, or on a tablet.
ˆ In the top left corner of every page, write the competition ID number you have
been assigned. Do not write your name, or anything else that could identify you
or your university. You may write your ID number before the start of the session.
ˆ In the top right corner of every page, write the problem number it relates to,
and the page number within that problem — for example, “A3 P2”. Each page
must relate to only one problem.
ˆ If a particular problem is not attempted, a page marked with your competition ID
number and the problem number as per the instructions above should be submitted.
ˆ Students are strongly encouraged to submit all rough work pages as they may lead
to partial credit. Students are also allowed to submit more than one attempted
solution per problem. All pages for a single problem (including rough work and
multiple solution attempts) should be numbered in one sequence.
ˆ After the completion of the session all participants should scan their work and
convert the scan into a single PDF file. This PDF file, labelled by your competition
ID number and session (as in S1234567 A (for singles) or P3141593 A (for pairs),
should be e-mailed to your local coordinator within 30 minutes of the completion
of the session.

Special instructions for pairs

ˆ A pair should make only one submission for each problem. Pages should be labelled
with the competition ID number assigned to the pair as well as the page numbering
indicated above.
ˆ Make sure that your discussions are not overheard by other contestants.

© 2021 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 1 of 2
First session exam paper for SMMC East

SIMON MARAIS
MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

2021 SESSION A: PROBLEMS

A1. Let a, b, c be real numbers such that a 6= 0. Consider the parabola with equation

y = ax2 + bx + c,

and the lines defined by the six equations

y = ax + b, y = bx + c, y = cx + a,
y = bx + a, y = cx + b, y = ax + c.

Suppose that the parabola intersects each of these lines in at most one point.
c
Determine the maximum and minimum possible values of .
a

A2. Define the sequence of integers a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . by a1 = 1, and

an+1 = n + 1 − gcd(an , n) × an

for all integers n ≥ 1.

an+1
Prove that = n if and only if n is prime or n = 1.
an
Here gcd(s, t) denotes the greatest common divisor of s and t.

A3. Let M be the set of all 2021 × 2021 matrices with at most two entries in each row
equal to 1 and all other entries equal to 0.
Determine the size of the set {det A : A ∈ M}.
Here det A denotes the determinant of the matrix A.

A4. For each positive real number r, define a0 (r) = 1 and an+1 (r) = bran (r)c for all
integers n ≥ 0.

(a) Prove that for each positive real number r, the limit

an (r)
L(r) = lim
n→∞ r n

exists.
(b) Determine all possible values of L(r) as r varies over the set of positive real
numbers.

Here bxc denotes the greatest integer less than or equal to x.

© 2021 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition Ltd, ABN 57 616 553 845 Page 2 of 2