Published by

AMT P U B L I S H I N G
Australian Mathematics Trust
University of Canberra Locked Bag 1
Canberra GPO ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA

Copyright 2014 AMT Publishing

Telephone: +61 2 6201 5137
www.amt.edu.au
AMTT Limited ACN 083 950 341
National Library of Australia Card Number and ISSN
Australian Mathematics Trust Enrichment Series ISSN 1326-0170
Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiads 1999-2013
ISBN 978-1-876420-73-4

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Preface
Australia entered a team in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) for the first
time in 1981 and has participated in this competition ever since, enjoying significant success
and assisting in the development of many fine young mathematicians. In 1983, the Australian
Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC) was set up to identify and train students for
international competition, as well as to stimulate a general interest in mathematical problem
solving. Key components of this identification process were the AMOC Inter-State competitions which led to participation in training and then the Australian Mathematical Olympiad
(AMO). In 1986, a junior division of the Inter-State competition was introduced, aimed at
students in Years 710. The importance of identifying talented students as young as possible
was recognised; a small number of outstanding juniors were invited to training camps. This
contest was renamed the Telecom Junior Contest in 1990, and in 1993, the Telecom Intermediate Contest. Eventually, and in a revised format, it became the Australian Intermediate
Mathematics Olympiad in 1999.
At every stage the purpose of this competition has been to provide a stimulating set of
challenging questions for young mathematicians, with the hope of identifying talented individuals, who might become involved in state or national training leading to participation
in the senior Olympiad program. Whilst the Australian Mathematics Competition attracts
many more students and is also used to identify potential, the AIMO is a longer exam (4
hours) and requires some proofs and investigation, essential skills at the Olympiad level.
The AIMO is now seen as the culmination of the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians (MCYA) and there could be no better preparation for the AIMO than to complete
the Challenge and Enrichment Stages. Indeed, the AIMO is based on material found in the
later stages of the Enrichment Stage (particularly Gauss and Noether). The AIMO papers
have been developed by a small committee, chaired initally by Bruce Henry and, from 2007,
by Kevin McAvaney. While the AIMO is certainly challenging, we feel that some students
who might be able to do well are not encouraged to enter or do not know about the competition. In producing this book of past papers, we hope to bring the contest to a wider
audience and to provide some opportunity to practise. Individually, AIMO papers have been
available in the AMOC yearbook, Mathematics Contests The Australian Scene, but this is
the first time that a collection of papers has been put together. We hope that it will prove
a useful and stimulating resource for teachers and students.
The papers are presented in very much their original form, though edited to fit on smaller
pages. Some diagrams have been redrawn for greater clarity. The student instructions have
changed very little over the years, and are provided on the next page. These instructions
have been removed from the individual papers in the interests of space.
Statistics are provided next to the marks for each question as to the number of students with
the correct answer per total number of students. For questions 9 and 10, the mean number of
marks obtained is given. The solutions are as originally published in Mathematics Contests
The Australian Scene each year, sometimes with several alternatives for each question.
I am extremely grateful for the efforts of Bruce Henry and Kevin McAvaney, not only in their
many years as successive Chairs of the AIMO Committee, but also in the preparation of this
volume of collected papers. I also acknowledge the work of our in-house editor, Bernadette
Webster, whose tireless efforts in proofreading and editing have eliminated many errors and
greatly improved the final appearance, and Heather Sommariva, our graphic designer, who
produced the cover and other aspects of the final design and layout.
Mike Clapper
Executive Director, Australian Mathematics Trust
Adjunct Professor, University of Canberra

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Student Instructions
Time allowed : 4 hours
No calculators are to be used.
Questions 1 to 8 require only numerical answers, all non-negative integers less than 1000.
Questions 9 and 10 require written solutions which may include proofs.
The investigation in Question 10 offers bonus marks, used only to determine prize winners
where required.

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Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad Committee

Dr K McAvaney
Mr J Dowsey
Dr M Evans
Mr B Henry
Assoc Prof H Lausch
Mr R Longmuir
Adj Prof M Clapper

Deakin University
(Chair, 20072013)
University of Melbourne
AMSI, Victoria
Victoria
(Chair, 19992006)
Monash University
China
Australian Mathematics Trust

7 years; 20072013
15 years; 19992013
15 years; 19992013
15 years; 19992013
15 years; 19992013
2 years; 19992000
1 year; 2013

Moderators for AIMO

Dr G Carter
Mr J Carty
Dr K Dharmadasa
Dr A Di Pasquale
Mr W Evers
Dr G Gamble
Mr K Hamann
Mr J Hassall
Assoc Prof D Hunt
Dr W Palmer
Dr M Peake
Dr V Scharaschkin
Assoc Prof P Schulz
Dr A Storozhev
Dr E Stoyanova
Dr P Swedosh
Dr N H Williams
Dr O Yevdokimov

Queensland University of
Technology
ACT Dept of Education
University of Tasmania
University of Melbourne
St Michaels Collegiate School, TAS
University of Western Australia
SA Department of Education
Burgmann Anglican School, ACT
UNSW
University of Sydney
Adelaide
University of Queensland
University of Western Australia
Australian Mathematics Trust
WA Department of Education
King David School, VIC
University of Queensland
University of Southern Queensland

12 years; 20012012
14 years; 19992012
10 years; 20042013
5 years; 20092013
5 years; 19992003
8 years; 20062013
7 years; 19992005
2 years; 20122013
7 years; 20072013
15 years; 19992013
7 years; 20062012
3 years; 20112013
1 year; 1999
2 years; 20072008
6 years; 20002005
15 years; 19992013
2 years; 19992000
4 years; 20102013

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C ONTENTS
PRE F AC E

vii

A U S T R AL IAN I NTER M ED IATE M AT HE MAT ICS

O LYM PIAD C O M M ITTEE

ix

QUE STIO N S

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 1999

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2000

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2001

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2002

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2003

11

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2004

13

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2005

15

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2006

17

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2007

19

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2008

21

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2009

23

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2010

25

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2011

27

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2012

29

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2013

31

S OL UTIO N S

33

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 1999 Solutions

35

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2000 Solutions

40

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2001 Solutions

44

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2002 Solutions

48

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2003 Solutions

53

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2004 Solutions

58

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2005 Solutions

63

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2006 Solutions

70

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2007 Solutions

76

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2008 Solutions

82

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2009 Solutions

88

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2010 Solutions

96

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2011 Solutions

109

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2012 Solutions

119

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad 2013 Solutions

131

Questions