Compilation of Questions

2nd Nationwide Search for Math Wizards

Polytechnic University of the Philippines
July 27, 2007
Quarter Final Round
Easy Answers
1. If n is a positive integer, what is the smallest n such that n3 + 1 is 2
prime?
2. For how many ordered pairs (m, n) will imn be a real number if 19
m ∈ { 2,3,4,5,7} and n ∈ { 3,4,6,8,9} ?
3− 3 60°
3. ABCD is a unit square with FC AH and the area of AFCH is .
3
Find θ . A F B

4. Let a and b be real numbers such that a>1 and b>0. If ab = a b and 4
a
= a 3b , determine the value of a.
b
θ 
0 1 ± 2
5. Find the eigenvalues of the matrix .
D H  2 0 C
Average Answers
1. How many perfect squares are of the form 1!+2!+3!+... + n! for some 2
positive integer n?
2. Simplify the expression: 2006
2007
2007
2007 ⋅ 2007 2007
2007 ⋅
2007 ⋅ ...
2007 2007 2007

3. What is the amplitude of the graph of y = 7 sin x + 24 cos x ? 25

4. The formula for the surface area and volume of a sphere are 18
4 3
respectively 4πr2 and πr where r is the radius of the sphere. If the
3
area and volume of the sphere are both four-digit multiples of π, what
is the radius of the sphere?
5. What do you call a pair of angles whose sum of measures is 360°? explementary
angles
Difficult Answers
1. 3 circles touch each other externally and have a 4
cm
common tangent, as illustrated. If the radii of 9
the larger circles are 4 cm and 1 cm
respectively, find the radius of the smallest
circle.

2. Evaluate the iterated integral

6 2
∫∫e
y2
x dydx
0
3
3. Patrick and Rolan have this nice conversation. (-1,2)
Patrick: This system of n linear equations with n unknowns has a curious
property.
Rolan: Oh great! What is it?
Patrick: Note that the constants form an arithmetic progression.
 98 x + 101 y = 104
Rolan: Sweet! Do you mean like  ?
107 x + 110 y = 113
Patrick: Quite so, indeed the system has its unique solution. Can you find
it?
Rolan: Oh no! You must be joking!
Can you help Rolan find its solution?
4. 88 ( → 64 (
8 x8)
→ 24 (
6 x 4)
→ 8
2 x 4)
77
This sequence has been made using this rule:
i. Start with a two-digit number.
ii. The next number is the product of the digits of the previous
number.
iii. Stop when you get to a one-digit number.
The sequence above has length 4. (It has 4 terms.)
Find the only two-digit number which gives a sequence of length 5.
Hint: the last term of the sequence is 8.
5. The first digit of a six-digit number is 1. If the 1 is shifted to the other 142,857
end, and the new six digit number is three times bigger than the old
one, what was the old number?
Compilation of Questions
2nd Nationwide Search for Math Wizards
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
July 27, 2007
Semi-Final Round
Easy Answers
Find the directional derivative of the function f ( x, y ) = x 2 − 4 y at
the point P (−2,2) in the direction of the unit vector
 π π
v = cos i + sin j .
3 3
If the curves y = sin 2 x and y = cos x were graphed on the same 2008
coordinate plane, how many points of intersection do these graphs
have on the interval [ 0,2007π ] ?
Evaluate
4
∫0
− 2 x − 4 dx .
What is the largest value of n for which 9n divides 100! ?
A large cube is built of 27 white building blocks. After painting the
surface of the large white cube red, it is taken apart. How many cubes
will have one red face?
Calculate -1
n
lim+ ( n n − n n )
n →0
Average Answers
A tight metal band is placed around 7 metal pipes (2π + 12)cm
each with radius 1 cm. Find the length of the band.
Two cylindrical rods of radii 10 cm and 30 cm are 1
(120 3 + 140π ) cm
placed side by side and bound together by a thin wire 3
which will go around them once.
A
Find the length of the wire.
The temperature at a particular point in R3 is given by the temperature
B
function T : R 3 → R defined by T ( x, y , z ) = 3 x 2 − 5 y 2 + 2 z 2 . Suppose
1 1 1
you are found at the point  , ,  and you want to get cool as soon
3 5 2
as possible, in which direction should you set?
ABCD is a square with center O. Circles 2
are drawn about A, B, C and D as centers
with equal radii AO, BO, CO and DO
respectively, intersecting a P, Q, R and S.
ABCD is a unit square. What is the area
of the shaded region?
x 2 + 1 x > 0 0
A function f : ℜ → ℜ is defined by f ( x ) =  . Find
1 − x otherwise
3

f ' (0) if it exists.

Find all pairs (a,b) of positive integers that satisfy (1,1), (2,16), (3,27)
 b2
a = ba .
Consider a randomly chosen n-child family, where n > 1 . Let A be the
event that the family has at most one boy, and B the event that every
child in the family is of the same sex. For what values of n are the
events A and B independent?
Difficult Answers
Find the highest point on the ellipse of intersection of the cylinder  
x 2 + y 2 = 1 and the plane x + y + z = 1 .  − 2 ,− 2 ,1 + 2 
 2 2 
 
A square matrix A is symmetric if and only if AT = A . Give the
dimension of the space K of all 2 × 2 symmetric real matrices.
Let f : R → R be a uniformly continuous function with f (5) = 10 . 30

Calculate lim
[ f ( x)] − 10
3
10
.
x →5 f ( x) − 10
A bag contains 50 red and 50 yellow balls. There are three boxes on a 1
shelf labeled RED, YELLOW and MIXED. Two balls are drawn at a
time from the bag. If the drawn pair is red, the balls are placed inside
the RED box. If both balls drawn are yellow, they are placed inside
YELLOW. If one is red and one is yellow, they are placed inside
MIXED. What is the probability that the numbers of balls inside the
RED and YELLOW boxes are equal after all pairs were drawn out
from the bag?
There are just three proper fractions with denominators less than a
hundred which maybe reduced to lowest terms by “illegitimately”
26 2(6) 2
canceling a digit. One of these is = = . Find the other two.
65 (6)5 5