AoPS Community 2013 IMO Shortlist

IMO Shortlist 2013

www.artofproblemsolving.com/community/c3964
by rrusczyk, lyukhson, jlammy, PersonPsychopath, liberator

– Algebra

A1 Let n be a positive integer and let a1 , . . . , an−1 be arbitrary real numbers. Define the sequences
u0 , . . . , un and v0 , . . . , vn inductively by u0 = u1 = v0 = v1 = 1, and uk+1 = uk + ak uk−1 ,
vk+1 = vk + an−k vk−1 for k = 1, . . . , n − 1.
Prove that un = vn .

A2 Prove that in any set of 2000 distinct real numbers there exist two pairs a > b and c > d with
a ̸= c or b ̸= d, such that
a−b 1
−1 < .
c−d 100000

A3 Let Q>0 be the set of all positive rational numbers. Let f : Q>0 → R be a function satisfying the
following three conditions:
(i) for all x, y ∈ Q>0 , we have f (x)f (y) ≥ f (xy);
(ii) for all x, y ∈ Q>0 , we have f (x + y) ≥ f (x) + f (y);
(iii) there exists a rational number a > 1 such that f (a) = a.
Prove that f (x) = x for all x ∈ Q>0 .
Proposed by Bulgaria

A4 Let n be a positive integer, and consider a sequence a1 , a2 , . . . , an of positive integers. Extend it

periodically to an infinite sequence a1 , a2 , . . . by defining an+i = ai for all i ≥ 1. If

a1 ≤ a2 ≤ · · · ≤ an ≤ a1 + n

and
aai ≤ n + i − 1 for i = 1, 2, . . . , n,
prove that
a1 + · · · + an ≤ n2 .

A5 Let Z≥0 be the set of all nonnegative integers. Find all the functions f : Z≥0 → Z≥0 satisfying
the relation
f (f (f (n))) = f (n + 1) + 1

© 2024 AoPS Incorporated 1

AoPS Community 2013 IMO Shortlist

for all n ∈ Z≥0 .

A6 Let m ̸= 0 be an integer. Find all polynomials P (x) with real coefficients such that

(x3 − mx2 + 1)P (x + 1) + (x3 + mx2 + 1)P (x − 1) = 2(x3 − mx + 1)P (x)

for all real number x.

– Combinatorics

C1 Let n be an positive integer. Find the smallest integer k with the following property; Given any
real numbers a1 , · · · , ad such that a1 + a2 + · · · + ad = n and 0 ≤ ai ≤ 1 for i = 1, 2, · · · , d, it is
possible to partition these numbers into k groups (some of which may be empty) such that the
sum of the numbers in each group is at most 1.

C2 A configuration of 4027 points in the plane is called Colombian if it consists of 2013 red points
and 2014 blue points, and no three of the points of the configuration are collinear. By drawing
some lines, the plane is divided into several regions. An arrangement of lines is good for a
Colombian configuration if the following two conditions are satisfied:
i) No line passes through any point of the configuration.
ii) No region contains points of both colors.
Find the least value of k such that for any Colombian configuration of 4027 points, there is a
good arrangement of k lines.
Proposed by Ivan Guo from Australia.

C3 A crazy physicist discovered a new kind of particle wich he called an imon, after some of them
mysteriously appeared in his lab. Some pairs of imons in the lab can be entangled, and each
imon can participate in many entanglement relations. The physicist has found a way to perform
the following two kinds of operations with these particles, one operation at a time.
(i) If some imon is entangled with an odd number of other imons in the lab, then the physicist
can destroy it.
(ii) At any moment, he may double the whole family of imons in the lab by creating a copy I ′ of
each imon I. During this procedure, the two copies I ′ and J ′ become entangled if and only if
the original imons I and J are entangled, and each copy I ′ becomes entangled with its original
imon I; no other entanglements occur or disappear at this moment.
Prove that the physicist may apply a sequence of such operations resulting in a family of imons,
no two of which are entangled.

C4 Let n be a positive integer, and let A be a subset of {1, · · · , n}. An A-partition of n into k parts
is a representation of n as a sum n = a1 + · · · + ak , where the parts a1 , · · · , ak belong to A and
are not necessarily distinct. The number of different parts in such a partition is the number of

© 2024 AoPS Incorporated 2

AoPS Community 2013 IMO Shortlist

(distinct) elements in the set {a1 , a2 , · · · , ak }.

We say that an A-partition of n into k parts is optimal if there is no A-partition
√ of n into r parts
with r < k. Prove that any optimal A-partition of n contains at most 3 6n different parts.

C5 Let r be a positive integer, and let a0 , a1 , · · · be an infinite sequence of real numbers. Assume
that for all nonnegative integers m and s there exists a positive integer n ∈ [m + 1, m + r] such
that
am + am+1 + · · · + am+s = an + an+1 + · · · + an+s
Prove that the sequence is periodic, i.e. there exists some p ≥ 1 such that an+p = an for all
n ≥ 0.

C6 In some country several pairs of cities are connected by direct two-way flights. It is possible
to go from any city to any other by a sequence of flights. The distance between two cities is
defined to be the least possible numbers of flights required to go from one of them to the other.
It is known that for any city there are at most 100 cities at distance exactly three from it. Prove
that there is no city such that more than 2550 other cities have distance exactly four from it.

C7 Let n ≥ 3 be an integer, and consider a circle with n + 1 equally spaced points marked on it.
Consider all labellings of these points with the numbers 0, 1, ..., n such that each label is used
exactly once; two such labellings are considered to be the same if one can be obtained from the
other by a rotation of the circle. A labelling is called beautiful if, for any four labels a < b < c < d
with a + d = b + c, the chord joining the points labelled a and d does not intersect the chord
joining the points labelled b and c.
Let M be the number of beautiful labelings, and let N be the number of ordered pairs (x, y) of
positive integers such that x + y ≤ n and gcd(x, y) = 1. Prove that

M = N + 1.

C8 Players A and B play a ”paintful” game on the real line. Player A has a pot of paint with four
units of black ink. A quantity p of this ink suffices to blacken a (closed) real interval of length
p. In every round, player A picks some positive integer m and provides 1/2m units of ink from
the pot. Player B then picks an integer k and blackens the interval from k/2m to (k + 1)/2m
(some parts of this interval may have been blackened before). The goal of player A is to reach
a situation where the pot is empty and the interval [0, 1] is not completely blackened.
Decide whether there exists a strategy for player A to win in a finite number of moves.

– Geometry

G1 Let ABC be an acute triangle with orthocenter H, and let W be a point on the side BC, lying
strictly between B and C. The points M and N are the feet of the altitudes from B and C,
respectively. Denote by ω1 is the circumcircle of BW N , and let X be the point on ω1 such that

© 2024 AoPS Incorporated 3

AoPS Community 2013 IMO Shortlist

W X is a diameter of ω1 . Analogously, denote by ω2 the circumcircle of triangle CW M , and let

Y be the point such that W Y is a diameter of ω2 . Prove that X, Y and H are collinear.
Proposed by Warut Suksompong and Potcharapol Suteparuk, Thailand

G2 Let ω be the circumcircle of a triangle ABC. Denote by M and N the midpoints of the sides AB
and AC, respectively, and denote by T the midpoint of the arc BC of ω not containing A. The
circumcircles of the triangles AM T and AN T intersect the perpendicular bisectors of AC and
AB at points X and Y , respectively; assume that X and Y lie inside the triangle ABC. The lines
M N and XY intersect at K. Prove that KA = KT .

G3 In a triangle ABC, let D and E be the feet of the angle bisectors of angles A and B, respec-
tively. A rhombus is inscribed into the quadrilateral AEDB (all vertices of the rhombus lie
on different sides of AEDB). Let φ be the non-obtuse angle of the rhombus. Prove that φ ≤
max{∠BAC, ∠ABC}.

G4 Let ABC be a triangle with ∠B > ∠C. Let P and Q be two different points on line AC such that
∠P BA = ∠QBA = ∠ACB and A is located between P and C. Suppose that there exists an
interior point D of segment BQ for which P D = P B. Let the ray AD intersect the circle ABC
at R ̸= A. Prove that QB = QR.

G5 Let ABCDEF be a convex hexagon with AB = DE, BC = EF , CD = F A, and ∠A − ∠D =

∠C − ∠F = ∠E − ∠B. Prove that the diagonals AD, BE, and CF are concurrent.

G6 Let the excircle of triangle ABC opposite the vertex A be tangent to the side BC at the point
A1 . Define the points B1 on CA and C1 on AB analogously, using the excircles opposite B and
C, respectively. Suppose that the circumcentre of triangle A1 B1 C1 lies on the circumcircle of
triangle ABC. Prove that triangle ABC is right-angled.
Proposed by Alexander A. Polyansky, Russia

– Number Theory

N1 Let Z>0 be the set of positive integers. Find all functions f : Z>0 → Z>0 such that

m2 + f (n) | mf (m) + n

for all positive integers m and n.

N2 Assume that k and n are two positive integers. Prove that there exist positive integers m1 , . . . , mk
such that
2k − 1
   
1 1
1+ = 1+ ··· 1 + .
n m1 mk
Proposed by Japan

© 2024 AoPS Incorporated 4

AoPS Community 2013 IMO Shortlist

N3 Prove that there exist infinitely many positive integers n such that the largest prime divisor of
n4 + n2 + 1 is equal to the largest prime divisor of (n + 1)4 + (n + 1)2 + 1.

N4 Determine whether there exists an infinite sequence of nonzero digits a1 , a2 , a3 , · · · and a pos-
itive integer N such that for every integer k > N , the number ak ak−1 · · · a1 is a perfect square.

N5 Fix an integer k > 2. Two players, called Ana and Banana, play the following game of numbers.
Initially, some integer n ≥ k gets written on the blackboard. Then they take moves in turn, with
Ana beginning. A player making a move erases the number m just written on the blackboard
and replaces it by some number m′ with k ≤ m′ < m that is coprime to m. The first player who
cannot move anymore loses.
An integer n ≥ k is called good if Banana has a winning strategy when the initial number is n,
and bad otherwise.
Consider two integers n, n′ ≥ k with the property that each prime number p ≤ k divides n if and
only if it divides n′ . Prove that either both n and n′ are good or both are bad.

N6 Determine all functions f : Q → Z satisfying

   
f (x) + a x+a
f =f
b b

for all x ∈ Q, a ∈ Z, and b ∈ Z>0 . (Here, Z>0 denotes the set of positive integers.)

N7 Let ν be an irrational positive number, and let m be a positive integer. A pair of (a, b) of positive
integers is called good if
a ⌈bν⌉ − b ⌊aν⌋ = m.
A good pair (a, b) is called excellent if neither of the pair (a − b, b) and (a, b − a) is good.
Prove that the number of excellent pairs is equal to the sum of the positive divisors of m.

© 2024 AoPS Incorporated 5

Art of Problem Solving is an ACS WASC Accredited School.