Practice (1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,11,12,13,14,15,16,23,24,25,26)

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Which of the following polynomials has the greatest real root?

The solutions to the equations $z^2=4+4\sqrt{15}i$ and $z^2=2+2\sqrt 3i,$ where $i=\sqrt{-1},$ form the vertices of a parallelogram in the complex plane. The area of this parallelogram can be written in the form $p\sqrt q-r\sqrt s,$ where $p,$ $q,$ $r,$ and $s$ are positive integers and neither $q$ nor $s$ is divisible by the square of any prime number. What is $p+q+r+s?$

In $\triangle PAT,$ $\angle P=36^{\circ},$ $\angle A=56^{\circ},$ and $PA=10.$ Points $U$ and $G$ lie on sides $\overline{TP}$ and $\overline{TA},$ respectively, so that $PU=AG=1.$ Let $M$ and $N$ be the midpoints of segments $\overline{PA}$ and $\overline{UG},$ respectively. What is the degree measure of the acute angle formed by lines $MN$ and $PA?$

Alice, Bob, and Carol play a game in which each of them chooses a real number between 0 and 1. The winner of the game is the one whose number is between the numbers chosen by the other two players. Alice announces that she will choose her number uniformly at random from all the numbers between 0 and 1, and Bob announces that he will choose his number uniformly at random from all the numbers between $\tfrac{1}{2}$ and $\tfrac{2}{3}.$ Armed with this information, what number should Carol choose to maximize her chance of winning?

For a positive integer $n$ and nonzero digits $a$, $b$, and $c$, let $A_n$ be the $n$-digit integer each of whose digits is equal to $a$; let $B_n$ be the $n$-digit integer each of whose digits is equal to $b$, and let $C_n$ be the $2n$-digit (not $n$-digit) integer each of whose digits is equal to $c$. What is the greatest possible value of $a + b + c$ for which there are at least two values of $n$ such that $C_n - B_n = A_n^2$?

Let $S$ be the number of ordered pairs of integers $(a,b)$ with $1 \leq a \leq 100$ and $b \geq 0$ such that the polynomial $x^2+ax+b$ can be factored into the product of two (not necessarily distinct) linear factors with integer coefficients. Find $S$.


The number $n$ can be written in base $14$ as $\underline{a}\text{ }\underline{b}\text{ }\underline{c}$, can be written in base $15$ as $\underline{a}\text{ }\underline{c}\text{ }\underline{b}$, and can be written in base $6$ as $\underline{a}\text{ }\underline{c}\text{ }\underline{a}\text{ }\underline{c}\text{ }$, where $a > 0$. Find the base-$10$ representation of $n$.


Kathy has $5$ red cards and $5$ green cards. She shuffles the $10$ cards and lays out $5$ of the cards in a row in a random order. She will be happy if and only if all the red cards laid out are adjacent and all the green cards laid out are adjacent. For example, card orders $RRGGG$, $GGGGR$, or $RRRRR$ will make Kathy happy, but $RRRGR$ will not. Find the probability that Kathy will be happy.


In $\triangle ABC, AB = AC = 10$ and $BC = 12$. Point $D$ lies strictly between $A$ and $B$ on $\overline{AB}$ and point $E$ lies strictly between $A$ and $C$ on $\overline{AC}$ so that $AD = DE = EC$. Then $AD$ can be expressed in the form $\dfrac{p}{q}$, where $p$ and $q$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find $p+q$.


For each ordered pair of real numbers $(x,y)$ satisfying\[\log_2(2x+y) = \log_4(x^2+xy+7y^2)\]there is a real number $K$ such that\[\log_3(3x+y) = \log_9(3x^2+4xy+Ky^2).\]Find the product of all possible values of $K$.


Let $N$ be the number of complex numbers $z$ with the properties that $|z|=1$ and $z^{6!}-z^{5!}$ is a real number. Find the remainder when $N$ is divided by $1000$.


A right hexagonal prism has height $2$. The bases are regular hexagons with side length $1$. Any $3$ of the $12$ vertices determine a triangle. Find the number of these triangles that are isosceles (including equilateral triangles).


Let $ABCDEF$ be an equiangular hexagon such that $AB=6, BC=8, CD=10$, and $DE=12$. Denote by $d$ the diameter of the largest circle that fits inside the hexagon. Find $d^2$.


Find the number of four-element subsets of $\{1,2,3,4,\dots, 20\}$ with the property that two distinct elements of a subset have a sum of $16$, and two distinct elements of a subset have a sum of $24$. For example, $\{3,5,13,19\}$ and $\{6,10,20,18\}$ are two such subsets.


The wheel shown below consists of two circles and five spokes, with a label at each point where a spoke meets a circle. A bug walks along the wheel, starting at point $A$. At every step of the process, the bug walks from one labeled point to an adjacent labeled point. Along the inner circle the bug only walks in a counterclockwise direction, and along the outer circle the bug only walks in a clockwise direction. For example, the bug could travel along the path $AJABCHCHIJA$, which has $10$ steps. Let $n$ be the number of paths with $15$ steps that begin and end at point $A$. Find $n$.




Find the least positive integer $n$ such that when $3^n$ is written in base $143$, its two right-most digits in base $143$ are $01$.


For every subset $T$ of $U = \{ 1,2,3,\ldots,18 \}$, let $s(T)$ be the sum of the elements of $T$, with $s(\emptyset)$ defined to be $0$. If $T$ is chosen at random among all subsets of $U$, the probability that $s(T)$ is divisible by $3$ is $\frac{m}{n}$, where $m$ and $n$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find $m$.


Let $\triangle ABC$ have side lengths $AB=30$, $BC=32$, and $AC=34$. Point $X$ lies in the interior of $\overline{BC}$, and points $I_1$ and $I_2$ are the incenters of $\triangle ABX$ and $\triangle ACX$, respectively. Find the minimum possible area of $\triangle AI_1I_2$ as $X$ varies along $\overline{BC}$.


Let $SP_1P_2P_3EP_4P_5$ be a heptagon. A frog starts jumping at vertex $S$. From any vertex of the heptagon except $E$, the frog may jump to either of the two adjacent vertices. When it reaches vertex $E$, the frog stops and stays there. Find the number of distinct sequences of jumps of no more than $12$ jumps that end at $E$.


David found four sticks of different lengths that can be used to form three non-congruent convex cyclic quadrilaterals, $A,\text{ }B,\text{ }C$, which can each be inscribed in a circle with radius $1$. Let $\varphi_A$ denote the measure of the acute angle made by the diagonals of quadrilateral $A$, and define $\varphi_B$ and $\varphi_C$ similarly. Suppose that $\sin\varphi_A=\frac{2}{3}$, $\sin\varphi_B=\frac{3}{5}$, and $\sin\varphi_C=\frac{6}{7}$. All three quadrilaterals have the same area $K$, which can be written in the form $\dfrac{m}{n}$, where $m$ and $n$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find $m+n$.


Points $A$, $B$, and $C$ lie in that order along a straight path where the distance from $A$ to $C$ is $1800$ meters. Ina runs twice as fast as Eve, and Paul runs twice as fast as Ina. The three runners start running at the same time with Ina starting at $A$ and running toward $C$, Paul starting at $B$ and running toward $C$, and Eve starting at $C$ and running toward $A$. When Paul meets Eve, he turns around and runs toward $A$. Paul and Ina both arrive at $B$ at the same time. Find the number of meters from $A$ to $B$.


Let $a_{0} = 2$, $a_{1} = 5$, and $a_{2} = 8$, and for $n > 2$ define $a_{n}$ recursively to be the remainder when $4$($a_{n-1}$ $+$ $a_{n-2}$ $+$ $a_{n-3}$) is divided by $11$. Find $a_{2018}$ • $a_{2020}$ • $a_{2022}$.


Find the sum of all positive integers $b < 1000$ such that the base-$b$ integer $36_{b}$ is a perfect square and the base-$b$ integer $27_{b}$ is a perfect cube.


In equiangular octagon $CAROLINE$, $CA = RO = LI = NE =$ $\sqrt{2}$ and $AR = OL = IN = EC = 1$. The self-intersecting octagon $CORNELIA$ encloses six non-overlapping triangular regions. Let $K$ be the area enclosed by $CORNELIA$, that is, the total area of the six triangular regions. Then $K =$ $\dfrac{a}{b}$, where $a$ and $b$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find $a + b$.


Suppose that $x$, $y$, and $z$ are complex numbers such that $xy = -80 - 320i$, $yz = 60$, and $zx = -96 + 24i$, where $i$ $=$ $\sqrt{-1}$. Then there are real numbers $a$ and $b$ such that $x + y + z = a + bi$. Find $a^2 + b^2$.