Mathematical Olympiads
Enrique Treviño
July 21, 2005
Mathematical Olympiads
• Annual Mathematics competition for High School Students
• First IMO held in Bucharest, Romania in 1959 (insert cheer
from Iuli).
• Only Elementary Tools needed for solution of problems.
2
Objectives
• To provide opportunities for meetings and contacts among
present and future mathematicians and scientists of different
countries.
• To stimulate and encourage mathematical excellence among
the students and teachers
• To enrich the education and training for research in the
mathematical sciences
• To foster unity of interest among all nations. Mathematics,
because of its universal nature, is ideally suited for this role.
3
Test
• Test separated in two days.
• Each day has 3 problems. Students have 4 1
2 hours to solve
the test.
4
Topics covered
• Number Theory
• Algebra
• Combinatorics
• Geometry
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Topics Not Covered
• Calculus
• Complex Numbers*
• Inversion in geometry
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Difficult Problems
The IMO has 6 very difficult questions. Usually the order of
dificulty is 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6. Where 1,2,3 are problems on the
first day and 4,5,6 on the second.
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Who Competes?
• 5 Countries started.
• In 1981 it reached the 5 continents.
• IMO Mexico 2005 had 91 countries.
• Since 1983 each country is represented by 6 students under
20 years of age and that haven’t started university studies.
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Prizes
• Half the contestants get a medal.
1
• Gold Medal for the best 12
• Silver Medal for the next 1
6
• Bronze Medal for the next 1
4
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More Prizes
• There are also awarded honorary mentions for contestants
that solve one problem, yet don’t get a medal.
• On some occasions a solution is worthy of being awarded
‘Creative Solution’
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Example of Creative Solution
Problem 3 of IMO Mexico 2005 (July 13, 2005):
Let x, y, z ∈ R0 and xyz ≥ 1. Prove that
x 5 − x2 y5 − y2 z5 − z2
5 2 2
+ 2 5 2
+ 2 2 5
≥0
x +y +z x +y +z x +y +z
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Solution
Proof.
x5 − x2 x5 − x2 (x3 − 1)2x2(y 2 + z 2)
5 2 2
− 3 2 2 2
= 3 2 2 2 5 2 2
≥0
x +y +z x (x + y + z ) x (x + y + z )(x + y + z )
Therefore
X x5 − x2 X x5 − x2 1 X
2 − 1) ≥
≥ = (x
x5 + y 2 + z 2 x3(x2 + y 2 + z 2) x2 + y 2 + z 2 x
1 X
2 − yz) ≥ 0
≥ 2 (x
x + y2 + z2
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IMO Impact on Mathematics
• Timothy Gowers, Gold Medal, UK; IMO USA 1981. Fields
Medal in 1998.
• Alexander Razborov, Gold Medal, USSR; IMO UK 1979.
Nevanlinna Prize in 1990.
• Richard Borcherds, Silver Medal, UK; IMO Yugoslavia 1977.
Fields Medal 1998.
• Peter Shor, Silver Medal, USA; IMO Yugoslavia 1977. Nevanlinna
Prize 1998.
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More
• Jean-Christof Yoccoz, Gold Medal, France; IMO E.Germany
1974. Fields Medal 1994.
• Vladimir Drinfel’d, Gold Medal, USSR; IMO Romania, 1969.
Fields Medal 1990.
• Grigorig Margulis, Silver Medal USSR; IMO Czechoslovakia
1962. Fields Medal 1983.
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Procedures
• Short-List of Problems
• Selection of Test
• Test
• Grading
• Coordinating
• Medal Cutoffs
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Mexican Mathematical Olympiad (OMM)
• Started in 1987.
• Selects representatives for Mexico in the IMO.
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Sample Problem from an OMM
Problem 6 of XV Mexican Mathematical Olympiad, November
2001.
A collector of rare coins has coins of denominations 1, 2, . . . , n
(several coins for each denomination). He wishes to put the
coins into 5 boxes so that:
(1) in each box there is at most one coin of each denomination;
(2) each box has the same number of coins and the same
denomination total;
(3) any two boxes contain all the denominations;
(4) no denomination is in all 5 boxes.
For which n is this possible?
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Road to the IMO in Mexico
• Be top 16 in the Mexican Mathematical Olympiad (OMM)
held in November.
• Every month from December to May there is a week of
lectures with selection exams.
• 5 selection tests in May
• Make the team and 2 more weeks of training.
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Chihuahua Mathematical Olympiad
• Started in 1989.
• Top 3 State in the nation in the history of the olympiad.
• Selects 6 students for the Mexican Mathematical Olympiad.
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Road to the OMM from Chihuahua
• Be top 20 in the State.
• Be top 6 in 5 selection tests
• 1 week intensive training prior to the OMM
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Evolution
The organization has evolved with time having much
better prepared lecturers and different ways of selecting the
representatives of the state.
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Why do people care about this?
The quest for a solution is always fun, and there are few
things more rewarding than a solution of a nice problem. The
Olympiad has a very noble cause and it attracts many of us
how want to learn.
I train young students now, because I want them to experience
the joy of solving a problem and because I know that my
lectures and the event can help them have new perspectives on
mathematics and on life.
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My Problem
I invented this problem for the Chihuahua Mathematical
Olympiad in 2003:
Let A be a 21-sided regular polygon. How many isosceles
triangles are formed by taking 3 vertices from A.
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Experience on IMO Mexico 2005
Hear me talk.
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Impact on my Life
• Discovery of the magic of mathematics.
• Getting to know interesting people around the nation.
• Opened some doors to enter selective programs (like this
REU).
• Got me motivated into learning more and to try to pass this
feeling towards more youngsters.
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Favorite Problem
Problem 6 from an argentinian selection test to pick members
for the ‘ XI Olimpiada Matematica del Cono Sur 2000’
Let P : N ⇒ N be a function such that P (1) = 1, P (2) = 2 and
P (n) = P (n − 1) + P (b n
2 c).
Prove there exists N > 2000 such that 7|P (N )
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Solution
Let m be such that P (m) ≡ 0 mod (7). m exists because
P (5) = 7. Let P (2m − 1) ≡ x mod (7).
P (2m) = P (2m − 1) + P (m) ≡ x + 0 ≡ x mod (7)
P (2m + 1) = P (2m) + P (m) ≡ x + 0 ≡ x mod (7)
Let P (4m − 3) ≡ y mod (7)
P (4m − 2) = P (4m − 3) + P (2m − 1) ≡ y + x mod (7)
P (4m − 1) = P (4m − 2) + P (2m − 1) ≡ y + 2x mod (7)
P (4m) = P (4m − 1) + P (2m) ≡ y + 3x mod (7)
...
P (4m + 3) = P (4m + 2) + P (2m + 1) ≡ y + 6x mod (7)
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