THE SOUTH AFRICAN MATHEMATICS OLYMPIAD

SENIOR SECOND ROUND 2020

Solutions
1. Answer 000
Since each digit is equal to 1 or more, a sum of less than 7 means that at least one of the
digits is zero. Therefore the product of the digits is zero.
2. Answer 001
The LCM of 2, 3, 4, 5 is 60, and 60 is the only positive integer less than 100 and divisible
by 60.
3. Answer 170
Suppose Kerstin is on page n of her book. Then n+(n+1) = 341, so n = (341−1)/2 = 170.
4. Answer 505
The prime factorization of 2020 is 22 × 5 × 101. In a perfect square, the exponent of each
prime factor must be even, so the smallest number is 5 × 101.
5. Answer 040
In minutes after 06:00, the times are −30, −15, 90, 115, and their average or mean is
(−30 − 15 + 90 + 115)/4 = 160/4 = 40.
6. Answer 057
The number who failed at least one subject is 30 + 25 − 12 = 43, so the number who
passed both subjects is 100 − 43 = 57.
Alternatively, the number who failed Physics only is 30 − 12 = 18 and the number who
failed Mathematics only is 25 − 12 = 13. Therefore the number who passed both subjects
is 100 − (18 + 13 + 12) = 57.
7. Answer 363
The number of entries in each row is three times the number in the previous row, so the
numbers at the ends of the rows increase by powers of 3: 1, 1 + 3 = 4, 4 + 32 = 13, and
so on. The last number in the sixth row is therefore
1 + 3 + 32 + 33 + 34 + 35 = 1 + 3 + 9 + 27 + 81 + 243 = 364,
and the second-last number is 363.
Alternatively, using the geometric series formula, the last number in the sixth row is
(36 − 1)/(3 − 1) = 728/2 = 364.
8. Answer 060
Herman travels 120 km in the first two hours, stays still for an hour, travels 60 km
back the next hour, then 60 km away the following hour, and finally 120 km home
again in the last hour. (These are distances, not displacements.) The total distance is
120 + 60 + 60 + 120 = 360 km in six hours, for an average speed of 360/6 = 60 km/h.
9. Answer 256
√ √ √
Let x be the required number and let y = x. Then y − y = 12, so y = y − 12. By
squaring, it follows that y = y 2 − 24y + 144, giving y 2 − 25y + 144 = 0. This factorizes
to (y√− 16)(y − 9) = 0, so y = 16 or y = 9. The second answer is not valid, because
9 − 9 = 6. Therefore y = 16 and x = y 2 = 256.

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10. Answer 016
If x = 0.7̇, then 10x = 7.7̇ = 7 + x, so 9x = 7 and x = 79 , which is in lowest terms, and
7 + 9 = 16.

11. Answer 001

There are four pairs of diagonally opposite places, and one green counter can be put into
each pair. The green counters should be located to separate the reds, as far as possible.
This leads to the following cyclic arrangement, which uses only one blue: RGRGGRGB.

12. Answer 090

By Pythagoras’
√ theorem, the right-angled triangles in the square have sides in the ratio
1 : 3 : 10. The√ shaded square√ has side length 3, so if the large square has side length 3x,
2
then 3 : x = 3 : 10, so x = 10 and the total area √ is 9x = 9 × 10 = 90.
Alternatively,
√ inside √
the triangle with sides x, 3x,√ 10x, it can be seen by similar triangles
that 10x = 9 + x/ 10, which again gives x = 10.

13. Answer 018

Suppose heads appears h times and tails appears 30 − h times. Then Ellie gives away
2h sweets and receives back 3(30 − h) sweets. It follows that 2h = 3(30 − h), so 5h = 90
and h = 18.

14. Answer 729

Every day after the first day, the number of learners knowing the rules is multiplied by 3,
since twice as many new people are added to those who knew the rules before. After six
days (since 20 − 15 + 1 = 6), the number will be 36 = 729.

15. Answer 180

Let the required distance be h. Then triangle DCE has altitude h − 60, so its area is
1
2
(60)(h − 60), which is equal to 602 , the area of square ABCD. Therefore 21 h − 30 = 60,
so h = 180.

16. Answer 023

The prime numbers up to 31 are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, and there are only
eleven of them. Therefore Priscilla must be lying, so the day must be one of the above
prime days. It cannot be 2 January, because then Odo would have to tell the truth,
whereas his statement about the number of days he has lied could not be true. Therefore
the day must be one of the odd primes, so Odo must also be lying. Suppose the day
of the month is 2k − 1, which is the k-th odd day. Then the statements “k ≥ 13” and
“k < 11” are both false, so k = 11 or 12, and the day of the month is 21 or 23. Since the
day must also be prime, it must be 23.

17. Answer 040

Draw lines from each vertex to the centre of the circle. This divides the quadrilateral into
four triangles, each with base on one side of the quadrilateral and with altitude equal
to the radius. The area of each triangle is half the radius time its base, so by summing
the areas of the triangles it follows that the area of the quadrilateral is equal to half the
radius times the perimeter P . Therefore 60 = 21 × 3 × P , so P = 23 × 60 = 40.
Remark. This result holds for any polygon with an inscribed circle, and, in particular,
for every triangle.

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18. Answer 091
If there are m male students and f female students who pass, then 0.52(m + f) =
0.48m + 0.55f and the ratio of m : f = 3 : 4 = 30 : 40 = 300 : 400. 0.48 × 300 = 144
and 0.55 × 400 = 220 so that m
f
= 144
220
= 36
55
in lowest terms and we then have m + f =
36 + 55 = 91.

19. Answer 052

We are given f(n + 1) = f(n) + 21 , so each term is obtained by adding 1
2
to the previous
term. It follows that f(101) = f(1) + 100 × 21 = 2 + 50 = 52.
Remark. This is, of course, an arithmetic sequence.

20. Answer 090

Harry’s choice of of a blue ball can arise in the following ways, with their associated
probabilities:

Dick Harry Probability

3
Blue Blue Blue 7
× 26 × 51 = 6
210
3
Blue Red Blue 7
× 46 × 52 = 24
210
4
Red Blue Blue 7
× 36 × 52 = 24
210
4
Red Red Blue 7
× 36 × 53 = 36
210
90
Total = 210

21. Answer 006

Arrange the crates into 25 piles corresponding to the numbers of apples inside, from 120
to 144. The average number of crates per pile is 128/25 = 5.12 > 5, so the largest pile
must contain at least 6 crates.
Remark. This is an extension of the Pigeonhole Principle, which says that if m objects
are placed in n boxes, where m > n, then at least one box contains more than one object.
In this case m > kn, where m = 128, k = 5, and n = 25, and the conclusion is that at
least one box contains more than k objects. It can also be stated as “The maximum of a
finite set of numbers is greater than or equal to their mean.”

22. Answer 006√ √ √

Let x = a + b 2, where a and b are rational. Then x2 = a2 + 2b2 + 2ab 2 = 38 − 12 2,
so a2 + 2b2 = 38 and 2ab = −12 by equating rational and irrational parts. Substituting
b = −6a−1 into the first equation gives

a2 + 72a−2 = 38, or (a2)2 − 38a2 + 72 = 0, or (a2 − 36)(a2 − 2) = 0.

√
The only rational solutions are a = ±6, so√b = ∓1 and x = ±(6 − 2). Since x is a
square root, it must be positive, so x = 6 − 2. Therefore
√ √
x2 − 12x + 40 = (38 − 12 2) − 12(6 − 2) + 40 = 38 − 72 + 40 = 6.

Remark. The values of a and b can also be found by inspection, especially bearing in
the answer is an integer, it follows that x2 − 12x is an integer, which
mind that, since √
implies that x + 2 is at least rational.

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23. Answer 516
There are 16 points, and each triangle (possibly with zero area) corresponds to a choice of
three of the points as its vertices. This gives a total of 16×15×14
3×2×1
= 560 possible triangles.
We must remove those with zero area, which arise when the three chosen points lie on
a line. There are ten lines containing four points (four vertical lines, four horizontal,
and two diagonal), and each line gives four triangles with zero area. There are also four
diagonal lines with three points, each line giving one triangle with zero area. This gives
a total of 10 × 4 + 4 × 1 = 44 triangles to be removed, so the number of triangles with
non-zero area is 560 − 44 = 516.

24. Answer 007

The points B1 (−8; 2) and B2 (2; 2) lie on the original circle and are collinear with its
centre and with A. The midpoints of AB1 and AB2 are Q1( 12 x − 4; 2) and Q2 ( 21 x + 1; 2),
respectively. They are extreme points of the smaller circle, so the centre of the smaller
circle is the midpoint of Q1 Q2, which is the point ( 21 (x − 3); 2). This point lies on the
original circle if it coincides with B2 , that is, if 21 (x − 3) = 2, giving x = 7.

25. Answer 273

Suppose that when going from A to B there are x km uphill, y km level, and z km downhill,
x y z
for a total of x+y +z km. Then 56 + 63 + 72 = 4, or 9x+8y +7z = 4×7×8×9 = 2016. On
the return trip, uphill and downhill are interchanged, so 7x+8y+9z = 14
3
×7×8×9 = 2352.
Adding the two equations gives 16(x + y + z) = 4368, so x + y + z = 4368/16 = 273.