Practice With Solutions

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How many $3\times 3$ matrices of non-negative integers are there such that the sum of every row and every column equals $n$?


Let $n$, $m$ and $k$ be three positive integers satisfying $m(k-1) < n$. Find the number of ways to select $k$ items from $\{1,\ 2,\ \cdots,\ n\}$ for form a strict increasing sequence and the difference between adjacent terms is no more than $m$.


As shown, an isosceles trapezoid is obtained by removing the top part of an equilateral triangle. The lengths of its two bases are $a$ and $b$, respectively, which are both integers. Both bases and sides are equally divided into unit-length parts. Their ending points are then connected to create several segments which are parallel to either two bases or one side. Find the number of equilateral triangles in this diagram.


Find the number of ways to divide a convex $n$-sided polygon into $(n-2)$ triangles using non-intersecting diagonals.


Let $x_i\in\{+1,\ -1\}$, $i=1,\ 2,\ \cdots,\ 2n$. If their sum equals $0$ and the following inequality holds for any positive integer $k$ satisfying $1\le k < 2n$: $$x_1+x_2+\cdots + x_k\ge 0$$

Find the number of possible ordered sequence $\{x_1,\ x_2,\ \cdots,\ x_{2n}\}$.


(Hanoi Tower) There are $3$ identical rods labeled as $A$, $B$, $C$; and $n$ disks of different sizes which can be slide onto any of these three rods. Initially, the $n$ disks are stacked in ascending order of their sizes on $A$. What is the minimal number of moves in order to transfer all the disks to $B$ providing that each move can only transfer one disk to another rod's topmost position and at no time, a bigger disk can be placed on top of a smaller one.


Find the total number of sequences of length $n$ containing only letters $A$ and $B$ such that no two $A$s are next to each other. For example, for $n = 2$, there are $3$ possible sequences: $AB$, $BA$, and $BB$.


Let $n$ be a positive integer. Find the number of ordered collection of integers $(a,\ b,\ c,\ d)$ such that $1\le a < b \le c < d\le n+1$

Yannick is playing a game with $100$ rounds, starting with $1$ coin. During each round, there is a $n\%$ chance that he gains an extra coin, where $n$ is the number of coins he has at the beginning of the round. What is the expected number of coins he will have at the end of the game?


Contessa is taking a random lattice walk in the plane, starting at $(1, 1)$. (In a random lattice walk, one moves up, down, left, or right $1$ unit with equal probability at each step.) If she lands on a point of the form $(6m, 6n)$ for $m$, $n\in\mathbb{Z}$, she ascends to heaven, but if she lands on a point of the form $(6m+ 3, 6n+ 3)$ for $m,\ n\in\mathbb{Z}$, she descends to hell. What is the probability that she ascends to heaven? 


In an election for the Peer Pressure High School student council president, there are $2019$ voters and two candidates Alice and Celia (who are voters themselves). At the beginning, Alice and Celia both vote for themselves, and Alice’s boyfriend Bob votes for Alice as well. Then one by one, each of the remaining $2016$ voters votes for a candidate randomly, with probabilities proportional to the current number of the respective candidate’s votes. For example, the first undecided voter David has a $2/3$ probability of voting for Alice and a $1/3$ probability of voting for Celia. What is the probability that Alice wins the election (by having more votes than Celia)?


Let $a$ and $b$ be five-digit palindromes (without leading zeroes) such that $a < b$ and there are no other five-digit palindromes strictly between $a$ and $b$. What are all possible values of $b - a$? (A number is a palindrome if it reads the same forwards and backwards in base $10$.) 


How many ways are there to insert $+$’s between the digits of $111111111111111$ (fifteen $1$’s) so that the result will be a multiple of $30$?


Solve the recursion $$a_n=\sum^{n-1}_{k=0}a_{k}a_{n-k-1}=a_0a_{n-1}+a_1a_{n-2}+\cdots+a_{n-1}a_0$$

where $a_0=a_1=1$.


Find the last $4$ digits of $2018^{2019^{2020}}$.


Compute $$\lim_{x\to 4}\frac{3-\sqrt{x+5}}{x-4}$$


Is the $y=\frac{1}{x}$ a continuous function?


Show that $$\lim_{x\to 0}\ \frac{x}{\sin{x}}=1$$


Show the following sequence is convergent:

$$\frac{1}{1^2},\ \frac{1}{2^2},\ \frac{1}{3^2},\ \cdots,\ \frac{1}{n^2},\ \cdots$$


Show that the limit of $f(n)=\left(1+\frac{1}{n}\right)^n$ exits when $n$ becomes infinitely large.


Show that $$\lim_{x\to 0}\frac{e^x-1}{x}=1$$


Find the value of 

$$\lim_{x\to\infty}\frac{\sin{x}}{x}$$


Compute the derivative of $f(x)=x^n$.


Show that $$\frac{d}{dx} e^x = e^x$$


Given $\frac{d}{dx} e^x = e^x$, find the value of $\frac{d}{dx} \ln x$.