Problem Section Author(s): George Berzsenyi, Bla Bajnok, Brad Brock, Bart Goddard and John Rickert Source:

Math Horizons, Vol. 2, No. 1 (September 1994), pp. 31-33 Published by: Mathematical Association of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25677984 . Accessed: 23/08/2013 10:07
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Problem
Editor
George Berzsenyi
Rose-Hulman

Section
Associate
Institute of Technology

Editors

Hulman This section features problems for students of mathematics at the undergraduate and high school levels.We invite them (as well as other mathematicians) to submit detailed well-written solutions as well as problems appropriate at these levels. Problems to be submitted should be accompanied by solu tions and commentaries about theirorigin. Solutions to be sub mitted should be on separate sheets, containing the solver's name, mailing address, school affiliation, and academic status (i.e., high school student, undergraduate, etc.). The authors of featured problems and solutions will be named as in other MAA publications. All submissions will be acknowledged, but only

Bela Bajnok, GettysburgCollege, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Brad Brock, Center for Communications Research, Prince and John Rickert, Rose ton, New Jersey; Bart Goddard Institute of Technology.

those solutions which arrive by the deadlines will be considered for publication. Submissions to this column should be sent to the follow ing address: Math Horizons Problem Section, Box 121, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, 5500 Wabash Ave., Terre Haute, IN, 47803-3999. They may also be sent by fax (812-877 3198) or via e-mail (goddard@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu). Hie solutions to Problems 1-5 are featured on the next two pages. Comments and additional solutions are invited. They will be published as space permits.

Proposals

To be considered

for publication,

solutions to the following problems

should be received by November

1, 1994.

(Proposed by David M. Bloom, Brooklyn arrange 1994 urns around a circle, and College.) number them 1 through 1994 in a clockwise order. Pro ceeding clockwise, we skip the first urn, place a ball into the second urn, and thereafter, after each placement of a ball, we skip the next urn that is still empty, and place a ball in the very next empty urn. After the placement of 1993 balls, which urn will remain empty? Problem 11. We Problem versity.) such that 12. (Proposed by Noam Elkies, Harvard Uni Suppose A, B, C, D, E, F are points in 3-space

N =

232 + l 641
as the sum

is an integer. Prove that JVcan be expressed of the squares of two integers.

Problem 14. (Proposed by Peter D. Johnson, Auburn University.) Show that for a, b > 0,

Jr.,

(a+ b)1"
and find the smallest number M

+
satisfying

AB = CD

= EF

r,

BC

= DE

= FA =

s, for all a, b > 0. Problem 15.

aVS+6l/3<M(a

+ 6)l/S

AD = BE

= CF

= r+ s

for some positive r, s. Show that A, B, C, D, E, F must be the vertices of an equiangular planar hexagon. Problem Illinois.) 13. (Proposed by Paul Bateman, Euler proved that University of

rity Agency.) Show thatfora > 0

(Proposed

by Mark

Stamp, National

Secu

- x2+ dx= x2 In + ~~ a) (y/a2 ^J ^lna ~[ ^

MathHorizons 1994 31 September

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Solutions

Problem
There are such that

1:Missing

Cubes
integers, n, less than 100,000

seven positive

By the Binomial

RexH Wu (medical SolutionII by SUNY/HSCB. student),

Theorem,

x3 + y3 = n = u3 + v3, where x, y9 u, and v are distinct positive integers whose greatest common factor is 1. Six of these are listed below,

(i-x)"=?(-i)*("y i=o JNow Also let n =

VV

Integrate both sides over the interval [0,1] to get

1729, 4104, 20683, 40033, 64232, 65728,

where

= y{-iy(n)J-.

(9, 34, 16, 33). Without resorting to a computer, missing seventh integer.

sen as (1, 12, 9, 10), (2, 16, 9, 15), (10, 27, 19, 24), and
find the

for the first four of them, (x, y, tx, v) can be cho

1993 in this equation.

at Solution Dawn Cable (student), by of University Pittsburgh

Johnstown. From the given information we know that

23+ 163= 93H-153 and 93+ 343= 163 + 333.

Adding these two equations, and then subtracting 93+163 from both sides of the result, yields

solved by Andrei Gnepp, Aleksandr Khazanov, Elina Vaysman (high school students); Melissa Barton, Robert W. Brown, Quoc-Thanh Bui, Minh Can, Hank Chien, Stephen Devlin, John Elliot, Renee Feit, Eric Gresens, Taylor B. Gilo, Robert L. Jones, Jichun Li, Chris Malone, Yiwen Mao, Kyle Matschke, Rick Mohr, Dennis Monbrod, Kulapant Pimsamam, Naved Rehman, Tresa L. Schad, Steve Talley,J arret Treu, Todd M. Wisotzkey (undergraduates); Al Adams, Rick Bailey, Ada Booth, Edwin Hoefer, Gary Neben, Keith Rogers, James M.
Swenson.

23+ 343= 153 + 333= 39,312< 100,000.

Since gcd(2,34,15,33) missing integer. = 1, it follows that 39,312 is the

Problem

3: Triangular

Points

Also solved Andrei Hank Chien, school student); by Gnepp(high

Taylor B. Guo (undergraduates); Charles Ashbacher.

If the plane is tessellated by equilateral triangles of base 1, we will refer to the vertices of the triangles as "triangular lattice points." What is the largest number, n, of triangular lattice points such that one of them is exactly 93 units ? 1 from the other n points? Hank Chien (student),Harvard University, Let Solution I by P be a triangular lattice point, and consider the circle of radius 93 with center at P. To locate a triangular lattice on this circle, we can proceed either along the 6 point rays emanating from P until we reach the circle, or we can proceed along these rays ra units and then turn 120? and go n more units tillwe reach the circle. The firstof these yields 6 points whose distance is 93 from P. The second method leads to the diophantine equation m2 + n2 + ran = whose 932,

Problem
Evaluate

2: Factoral Sum 1993 -1992 1993 1992 -1991 1993!

1993

2!

4! 3!

+'"
The

1994!'
given

Solution I byDev Nag (student), Reed College. as expression may be written 1 /1994 _ 1994 -1993 1994 1993 1992 _

1994V 1!
where

2!

3! 1994!/

_ 1994! \

the parenthesized l~(l

expression + (-l))1994.

is equal

to

Since this is equal

to 1, the answer 1 1994'

to the problem

is

n is solution in positive integers ra < unique = can one turn two from in ways (33,72). Since (ra,n) each of the 6 rays, these yield 12 more triangular lattice are a points on the circle. Therefore, along with P, there = n 19. of 19 with the total desired property; i.e., points

Andrei Gnepp (student), Hawken School, Orange, Solution II by Let P be one of the triangular lattice points, and OH. consider a rectangular coordinate system with P at the

1994 32 MathHorizons September

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one origin and the x-axis in the direction of the side of are given by Then the lattice points triangle. triangular (r/2, s\/3/2) where r and s are integers with the same r = s (mod 2). If such a point is on the parity, that is = must satisfy circle x2 + y2 932, it r2 + 3s2 = 22932. The

Problem

5: Lowest Terms
in the inter

What fraction has the smallest denominator

Solution I byCharles Ashbacher, DecisionMark Corp. proximations are (0,?62), -7

The

ap

there are 18 solutions, and n =

(?11, ?59), (?24,?46), (?31,?31), and (?35,?13). Thus

19.

only

solutions

of

this equation

19 = 94

0.20212765

and

? 17=

76

0.22368421

Solution III by Aleksandr Khazanov School. The equation

(student), StuyvesantHigh

= suggest that 0.22222222 2/9 is a candidate for the solu tion. The elimination of fractions with smaller denomina tors is straightforward. Hence the answer is 2/9. Solution II byJames M. Suppose Swenson, EDS, Wheat Ridge, CO.

ra2 + n2 + ran = 932, can be written as

= (m nC)(m nC2) (1+ 2<)4(1 + 6C)2(5+ 6C)2, where ? = (?1 + \/3i)/2. Thereby theproblembecomes

19 < < 17 94 b 76 minimize b. by 6 gives Multiplying the inequality

?

one of factorization in the Euclidean domain Z[?]. It is see on to that all of the factors the easy right are primes in Z[Q. It is a bit more tedious to show that, up to a unit, ? (m they can be grouped in only three ways to produce ~ nC)(m nC2)> with m, n integers. Since there are 6 units equation. Thus n= 19.

with a and b relatively prime positive

integers. We

seek to

(?1,?C, ?C2) inZ[C], thereare 6 3 = 18 solutionsto the

196 < 94

a <

176 76
6 such that the interval

so, we want to find the minimum

Rex H. Wu. Also solved by

1,2,3,..., we ^o~) = find that 6 9 is the first6 that works, giving a = 2. Thus
a _ 2 ~~

contauls an mteger- Trying 6 =

Problem

4: Tkngent Inequality
that

Let S be a set of nine distinct real numbers. Prove there are two elements, a and b, in 5 such that
0 <-

9'

a-b

1
<-p.

1+ ab

1+ 72
(student), Stuyvesant High

Solution III by Minh Can (student), Orange Coast Community In the continued fraction ex Costa CA. Mesa, College,

pansion of ?| and 19_

Solution byAleksandr Khazanov and

17 _

School. Let 5' = {arctans : s G S}. Then S' C

since S' has 9 elements, there are at least two ele ments, ao = arctan ao and fio = arctan bo, whose differ ence is less than 7r/8.Assume that 0 < ao ? A) < fl"/8. Then _ tana0 Qo-fro " tan/30 _ " " ^

|),

94~4+-iT

1+

l8

76_4+^T*

2+8
in both expan

we can round the penultimate fraction sions to 2, and thereby obtain a fraction, 1 1 _ ~ 2 Q'

TT^

1+tanaotanA) ~

(C*?

and

4+2
which is in the given interval. Then fractions with smaller denominators. it is easy to eliminate

? = 0 < tan(a0 - /?0) < tan7r/8 1= ^ 1+ a0b0 ^ 1+ y/2

Also solved byAndrei Gnepp, Elina Vaysman (high school stu dents); Hank Chien, Taylor B. Guo, Peter Lu, Dev Nag, Ku lapant Pimsamarn (undergraduates); Paul Deiermann, George Evagelopoulos, Peter Flusser, Edwin Hoefer, James M. Swenson,
Wu.

RexH.

Also solved by Andrei Gnepp, Sarah Hirschorn, Aleksandr Khazanov, Boris Matveyenko (high school students); Robert W. Brown, Quoc-Thanh Bui, Hank Chien, Kyle Matschke, Dev Nag, Naved Rehman, Todd M. Wisotzkey (undergraduates); Edward T. H. Wang, Rex H. Wu.

MathHorizons 1994 33 September

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