Puzzling

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A mathematical puzzle whose solution is heavily based on the arithmetic properties of the integers. Use with [mathematics]

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8
votes
2answers
275 views

Permutations of first 10 natural numbers such that all the prefix sums are distinct

I posted this question on Math SE as well. Did not receive any help. This is a question that I was asked in a Quant Interview. I would like you all to have a crack at this. I could not find a problem ...
5
votes
1answer
181 views

Insert Plus Signs and Add

If you take any integer (in base 10) and insert plus signs, "+", in between its digits (as few or as many as you like), and carry out the indicated sum, you will end up with a smaller number ...
1
vote
1answer
93 views

Equal row-products and column-products in a given array [closed]

I don't know if this is the right place to ask this question, but I'm stuck on this and can't figure out how to even proceed. Any hints anyone? Is it possible in a 5 × 5 array of integers for all row ...
11
votes
1answer
1k views

A hidden number everyone is talking about

The following describes an 8-digit positive integer. Identify this number, and explain the title of this puzzle. The number is in the form of 2021____. It has 24 ...
3
votes
1answer
327 views

How many consecutive integers to ensure one has digit sum divisible by 19?

How many consecutive positive integers are at least required, such that there is always a number in such a sequence whose sum of digits is divisible by 19?
12
votes
2answers
663 views

Introducing S-sequences: which is the shortest to contain all integers 1 to 20?

Consider a sequence (finite or infinite) of different positive integers, such as the following, in which the first term is 1, and thereafter the nth term is either the previous term plus n, minus n, ...
4
votes
2answers
293 views

The Divisibility Graph... Again!

The divisibility graph of a set of positive integers is the graph whose vertices are the integers, two of which are joined by an edge if one divides the other. What is the smallest positive integer ...
3
votes
1answer
171 views

Guessing Two (or Three) Different Integers

I am thinking of two different positive integers between 1 and 100 (both inclusive). At most how many questions do you need to ask to find my two numbers if I will answer your questions truthfully and ...
7
votes
2answers
531 views

Divisibility Graph

The divisibility graph of a set of integers is the graph whose vertices are the integers, two of which are joined by an edge if one divides the other. What is the largest integer N such that the ...
7
votes
2answers
238 views

Positive integers as sum or difference of consecutive square numbers

Is it possible to represent each positive integer n in the form $n=\pm1^2\pm2^2\pm3^2...\pm m^2$ ? Examples: $1=+1^2$ $2=-1^2-2^2-3^2+4^2$ $3=-1^2+2^2$ $4=-1^2-2^2+3^2$
10
votes
2answers
557 views

Splitting the Integers

For which n is it possible to split all the integers 1, 2, 3, ..., n into two non-empty disjoint sets such that the product of the sum of the elements in one set and that of those in the other is a ...
2
votes
2answers
210 views

Consecutive integers which have digital sums that are not relatively prime

What are ten smallest natural numbers n, such that n and n+1 have digital sums which are not relatively prime?
2
votes
2answers
184 views

Powerful Octagon

Place different integers on the vertices of an octagon so that the sum of the integers in any two vertices joined by one of its edges is a power of 2. Do so in such a way that the largest integer used ...
2
votes
1answer
281 views

Squares and chords in a circle

The whole numbers 1 to 2n are placed in order around a circle. For which n is it possible to draw n non-intersecting chords (one from each number) such that each of them joins two numbers whose sum ...
-2
votes
3answers
166 views

Sequence with all terms divisible by 8

Let's have the following infinite sequence 3968, 13224, 30624, 59048, ? What is the next term, replacing the question mark? Why are all the terms of this infinite sequence divisible by 8?
7
votes
1answer
321 views

Can you distribute the balls equally into 2 boxes?

You have 2 boxes and an even number ($2n$) of balls in the first box. Your goal is to distribute the balls equally into the two boxes, so that each box contains $n$ balls. You must obey the following ...
11
votes
1answer
775 views

The largest Saturday number

No weekend love yet shown, therefore I will fix that. A Saturday number is a number in which for all $1 \le i \le l$, where $l$ is the length of the number, the first $l$ digits (from the left) divide ...
7
votes
1answer
795 views

Inequality derived from a famous problem

Let's have the following inequality: $\frac{2}{3}(\sqrt 5-1)^3\lessgtr\sqrt[3]{2}$. Which part is greater, the left or the right? No calculator solutions are accepted.
7
votes
2answers
1k views

Coloring positive integers 'black or white'

Each of the positive integers from 1 to n is colored either black or white. You can repeatedly choose a number m and recolor m together with those numbers, which are not coprime to m. At the beginning ...
0
votes
2answers
136 views

How is this correct? [duplicate]

How is the following equation is correct?$29$ - $1$ = $30$ Hint-
-1
votes
1answer
90 views

Consecutive number division puzzle 2 [closed]

Find 4 consecutive numbers that divide 𝑤, 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧 respectively, where 𝑤, 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 are also 4 consecutive positive numbers greater than 1, or prove it's impossible. Bonus: What if w > the ...
1
vote
1answer
243 views

Pythagorean triplets generated in a unique way

Let's have the following sequence of Pythagorean triplets $25^2=24^2+7^2,1201^2=1200^2+49^2$, $58825^2=58824^2+343^2, ?, ?$ What are the next two triplets in this sequence? How have these triplets ...
5
votes
3answers
185 views

Numbers with minimal sum at the vertices of a cube

The eight vertices of a cube are marked with numbers from 1 to 8 such that the sum of any three numbers on any face is not less than 10. What is the minimum sum of the four numbers on a face?
4
votes
1answer
79 views

A 4x6 grid with adjacent integers with gcd > 1

You are given a 4x6 square grid. Each square of the grid should be filled with different positive integers. The gcd (greatest common divisor) of any two adjacent (horizontally or vertically) squares ...
3
votes
1answer
83 views

Divisors ending with digits 0-9 each

What is the smallest positive integer, which has - for each of the digit 0-9 - a divisor ending with this digit?
0
votes
1answer
93 views

Self-indulgent numbers

Let's call a positive integer N self-indulgent of degree K>2 if for every positive integer k<K the following is true: More than half of the first k multiples N,2N,...,kN of N contain with ...
3
votes
2answers
433 views

Find X and Y so that they are never equal [closed]

In a game, your opponent is given an ordered pair of integers (X, Y), and at each step, they can either double X and add one to Y or double Y and add one to X. Here's an example sequence of steps that ...
9
votes
2answers
453 views

Construction of positive integers by given rules

For a positive integer n there are two operations defined: append one of the digits 0, 4 or 8 at the right end of n n can be divided by 2 if n is even Start number is 4. Is it possible to construct ...
2
votes
1answer
140 views

Four-Number Door Puzzle

So I had an idea for a number-based door puzzle for a TTRPG campaign that could readjust itself every time a wrong guess is made. Here's the basic premise: Given two numbers, find two more numbers in ...
4
votes
2answers
258 views

All possible locations of a robot going from $(x,y)$ to $(x+y, y)$ or $(x,x+y)$ [closed]

Suppose I had a little robot on the coordinate grid that moves according to the following rule. If it's at the point $(x,y)$, it can move to either $(x+y,y)$ or $(x,x+y)$. If the robot starts at the ...
6
votes
2answers
348 views

Twin primes and divisibility

Let $p$ and $q$ be a pair of twin primes. Find the smallest possible value of $a+b$ where $a$ and $b$ are positive integers such that $p\;|\;(a+qb)$ and $q\;|\;(a+pb)$. This puzzle is my own ...
9
votes
2answers
615 views

A Triangle of Squares

Let $T(n) = 1 + 2 + 3 + \text{...} + n$ be the $n$th triangular number. For which $n>1$, if any, is it possible to split the first $\frac{n(n+1)}{2}$ positive integers into $n$ sets, all of ...
9
votes
4answers
952 views

How to find the 2021st integer co-prime to 15

I recently saw a puzzle where you were to find the 2021st positive integer co-prime to 15 (it was phrased in terms of a game but this is the mathematical core). I wrote code to find the answer but can’...
-3
votes
1answer
134 views

Add or subtract 212 in octal to get a palindrome

The puzzle is as follows: Suppose you have a three-digit number in the octal system. If you add or subtract 212 (also in the octal system) from that initial number, you get a three-digit palindromic ...
0
votes
0answers
96 views

First digit of 2021^2021 [duplicate]

Can you find the first digit of $2021^{2021}$ without a computer? Good luck!
17
votes
3answers
2k views

What makes this polynomial a square number?

For which integer values of $x$ is $x^4+x^3+x^2+x+1$ a square number? Please include a proof that the polynomial cannot be a square number if $x$ is not one of your answer(s). Source: a math olympiad ...
4
votes
1answer
187 views

More primes and squares, in a summation triangle

Place a different prime number or perfect square in each of the twenty-one disks that make up the triangle below, so that the number in any disk that lies on two others is precisely the sum of the ...
5
votes
3answers
445 views

A Circle of numbers

Just saw a Circle of numbers on my Whats App message (source not listed) which is as following Arrange numbers 1 to 32 in a circle such that any two adjacent (neighboring) numbers add up to a perfect ...
11
votes
4answers
441 views

Not so boring numbers

This is inspired by this and this and more similar ones. Let us consider formation of a given positive integer N by the following rules You may use only one digit, which one is your choice and you ...
7
votes
2answers
470 views

When do decimal-coded binary numbers XOR to zero?

Background definition: XOR on numbers Given two non-negative integers $x$ and $y$, let $x\oplus y$ denote the bitwise exclusive or (XOR) of the numbers $x$ and $y$. This is the result of writing $x$ ...
9
votes
3answers
387 views

A theorem about angles in the form of arctan(1/n)

There is a famous classical geometry puzzle about the angles formed by integer coordinates: What is the sum of angle A and B in the following image? Do not use any advanced mathematics such as ...
8
votes
2answers
571 views

Multiple of 3 in any numeric base

Can you find a positive binary number that is a multiple of 3 when it is read in any base from 2 to 10? A binary number contains only digits 0 and 1. For example the binary number "11" is 3 ...
0
votes
1answer
139 views

The mysterious fractions

Let's have the following fractions. $ \frac{752}{375} + \frac{754}{376}+ \frac{756}{377} + \frac{758}{378}+ \frac{760}{379} \approx 10\times(\frac{5}{375}+1)^{1/5}$ $\frac{752}{375}+ \frac{754}{376}+ \...
-16
votes
1answer
262 views

Equation $X^4-DY^4=Z^4$ (Part 1) [closed]

Let's have the positive integers X,Y,Z. The number D is a terminating decimal always. The numbers X,Y,Z do not have a common factor. Based on the above information, can you solve the following ...
-18
votes
1answer
388 views

Solving the equation X^4 - DY^4 = Z^4 [closed]

Let's have the equations $12^4 - DY^4 = 7^4$ and $24^4 - DY^4 = 19^4$. For what values of D and Y do these equations have a solution? Secondly, what little trick is required to obtain solutions of the ...
7
votes
4answers
794 views

Sum of digits of sum of digits of sum of digits

The following question was asked in a competitive exam for which I am preparing and I was unable to solve it (in fact I am completely clueless about it). So, I am asking for help here. Given a number ...
5
votes
2answers
466 views

Paying bills in Alphagonia

In the Kingdom of Alphagonia, where the national currency is the Alpha, banknotes are available in all whole-number denominations of alphas: 1, 2, 3,... a) What is the least number of such notes a ...
2
votes
1answer
200 views

Puzzle regarding emptying of cup!

Initially, I have $3$ cups with infinite capacity and some prefilled amount of water(positive integers). I can do only one operation repeatedly by choosing any $2$ out of $3$. The operation is that if ...
-1
votes
1answer
94 views

Fractions with different denominators

Lets have the following fractions. $121393/28657$ $121393/17711$ $121393/10946$ $121393/?$ What number is on the denominator of the last fraction where the question mark is? Also, which algebraic ...
6
votes
2answers
146 views

Crossnumber Puzzle

Across: 1. Sum of consecutive integer powers of 21 Across 7. Prime number, not all of whose digits are prime 8. Number that is coprime with 13 Down 9. Sum of three consecutive primes 10. Noble gas ...

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