Answers to the 1998 IUPUI/TMMI Mathematics Contest

1. Three squares adjoin each other as in the gure. Find the sum of angles A, B and C.

Answer 1. One plane geometry proof uses the square PQRS constructed in the gure below.
From this we see that angle A + B = 45Æ , so A + B + C = 90Æ .

A trigonometric proof is the following:

tan A + tan B 1
+ 1
tan(A + B ) = = 3 2
=1
1 tan A tan B 1 13
12
so that again A + B = 45Æ .

2. The Fibonacci sequence 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,: : : is dened by setting the rst two

terms equal to 1, and thereafter by letting each term be the sum of the previous
two. In other words, an+2 (term number n + 2) is dened by an+2 = an+1 + an for
n = 1; 2; 3; : : :. Prove that if n is divisible by m, then the nth term of the sequence is
divisible by the mth term. For example, 8 is divisible by 4, and the 8th term (21) is
divisible by the 4th term (3).

Answer 2. Fix n. Let us show by mathematical induction that an evenly divides an , a2n ; a3n : : :
akn : : : It is clear that an evenly divides an . We suppose then that an evenly divides
akn and try to deduce from this that an evenly divides a(k+1)n = akn+n . We know

akn+2 = akn+1 + akn

so using this rule repeatedly,

akn+3 = 2akn+1 + akn = a3 akn+1 + a2 akn

akn+4 = 3akn+1 + 2akn = a4 akn+1 + a3 akn

akn+5 = 5akn+1 + 3akn = a5 akn+1 + a4 akn
and in general
akn+p = ap akn+1 + ap 1 akn :
When we reach p = n we have

akn+n = an akn+1 + an 1 akn :

1
 By the induction assumption, an divides both an and akn , so it divides the right hand
side of this equation, thus it must divide akn+n .

3. Points A; B and C move counterclockwise along three coplanar circles. Each point
moves with the same constant angular velocity with respect to the center of its circle.
How does the centroid of triangle ABC move?

Answer 3. The centers of the three circles determine a triangle whose center of gravity is a point
P . The center of gravity of triangle ABC moves with the same angular velocity around
a circle with center P . To see this we rst establish some notation. Let C1 ; C2 ; C3 be
the vectors from the origin to the centers of the circles, let ! be the constant angular
velocity, let t be time, let r1 ; r2 ; r3 be the radii of the circles, and let 1 ; 2 ; 3 be
the initial angles of points A; B and C . The points on the circle with center Cn are
obtained from
Cn + rn hcos(!t); sin(!t)i
or equivalently from
Cn + cos(!t)(rn i) + sin(!t)(rn j) (1)

where i and j are the unit vectors h1; 0i and h0; 1i, respectively. With the starting
angles incorporated, the location of the center of gravity of the triangle is

1 X (C hcos(!t + n ); sin(!t + n )i)

n + rn
3 n
P
Note that 31 n (Cn ) is P, the vector from the origin to P . Now we substitute the
trig identities for cos(!t + ) and sin(!t + ) and factor (this is long). The result is

P + cos(!t)n + sin(!t)n? (2)

where n is the vector

n = hr1 cos(1 ) + r2 cos(2 ) + r3 cos(3 ); r1 sin(1 ) + r2 sin(2 ) + r3 sin(3 )i

and n? is the perpendicular vector

n? = h r1 sin(1 ) r2 sin(2 ) r3 sin(3 ); r1 cos(1 ) + r2 cos(2 ) + r3 cos(3 )i

By comparing equatons (2) and (1), we see the motion is around the circle with center
P and radius the length of n, and has the same angular velocity.

2
 The solution is shorter if we introduce the complex numbers and the function
cis(!t) = cos(!t) + i sin(!t). Then the nth circle can be represented as

Cn + rn cis(!t + n ) = Cn + rn cis(!t) cis(n )

where now Cn is a complex number rather than a vector. The center of gravity is
1 X[C + rn cis(n ) cis(!t)]
n
3 n
1
= P + [r1 cis(1 ) + r2 cis(2 ) + r3 cis(3 )] cis(!t) :
3
Writing 3 [r1 cis(1 ) + r2 cis(2 ) + r3 cis(3 )] in the form r cis( ), we see that the
1

center of gravity is located at

P + r cis( ) cis(!t) = P + r cis(!t +  ) :

4. For a class with two or more students, show that at least two students have the same
number of friends in the class. Assume that you cannot be your own friend. Also
assume that if I am your friend, then you are my friend (and vice versa).

Answer 4. Suppose there are n students in the room and that everyone of them has a dierent
number of friends. No one can have fewer than 0 friends or more than n 1. Since
there are n people in the room and exactly n numbers from 0 through n 1, these
numbers must correspond to the people in the room in some order. The person with
n 1 friends is friends with everyone in the room, including the person with 0 friends.
This is a contradiction, as the person with 0 friends would then have as a friend the
person with n 1 friends.

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 2001 IUPUI/Roche Diagnostics High School Math Contest Winners
First Prize Winner

Jonathan Steven Landy, Warren Central High School. Teacher: Ms. Julia Oblon

Second Prize Winners

Sandy Ottensmann, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Teacher: Ms. Joan Rocap
Matthew Adam Fisher, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Teacher: Mrs. Sandra
Laycock
Irene Yuan Sun, Ben Davis High School, Teacher: Mr. Richard Elmore
Michael Chun Chang, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Teacher: Ms. Susan Wong
Kathleen Wolter, Avon High School, Teacher: Mr. Tony Record
Aileen Chen, Carmel High School, Teacher: Mrs. Nancy Schulenburg
Ivan Y. Dremov, North Central High School, Teacher: Mrs. Jan Wendt
Karen Lai, Carmel High School, Teacher: Mrs. Nancy Schulenburg
Christopher Merryman, Carmel High School, Teacher: Mrs. Laura Diamente
Patrick Joseph Mihelich, Park Tudor, Teacher: Mrs. Joanne Black
Caitlin Elizabeth Pauckner, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Teacher: Ms. Joan Rocap
Michael Jonathan Star, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Teacher: Mrs. Sandra Laycock
Feng Tu, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Teacher: Ms. Susan Wong
Matt Willsey, Roncalli High School, Teacher: Mrs. Bonnie Ramey
Jerry Wu, Carmel High School, Teacher: Mrs. Kathie Freed

Honorable Mention Winners

David Bauman, Roncalli High School, Teacher: Mrs. Bonnie Ramey

Barbara Brill, Roncalli High School, Teacher: Sr. Anne Frederick
Erika Hollins Dantzig, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Teacher: Mr. Tim Kelaghan
Scott Adam Dial, Ben Davis High School, Teacher: Mr. Wallace Mack
John Durham, Warren Central High School, Teacher: Mr. John Greenlee
J. Alex Emerson, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Teacher: Ms. Susan Wong
Greg Hasty, Warren Central High School, Teacher: Mrs. Janis Gaerte
Amy L. Hoffman, Carmel High School, Teacher: Mrs. Nancy Schulenburg
Nicholas Flynn Hoover, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Teacher: Ms. Joan Rocap
Henry Jung, Ben Davis High School, Teacher: Mr. Richard Elmore
Steven Linville, Franklin Community High School, Teacher: Mr. Jason Boone
Gregory Ryan Martens, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Teacher: Mr. Tim Kelaghan
Bhumi Dinesh Rajkotia, North Central High School, Teacher: Mr. Paul Brown
Lisa Ann Schaus, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Teacher: Mrs. Sandra Laycock
Ryan W. Tobin, Warren Central High School, Teacher: Mrs. Janis Gaerte
Alexander Hilmes Toumey, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Teacher: Mrs. Sandra
Laycock
Chong Yan, Carmel High School, Teacher: Mrs. Kathie Freed