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On Olympiad Track
1.

Every living person has shaken hands with a certain 4.

number of other persons. Prove that count of the number
of people who have shaken hands an odd number of times
must yield an even number.

Prove that for every integer n:

square of another color. Thus, in an even number of

moves the knight is again on a square of the same color as
that of the square he started from, and in an odd number
of moves he is on a square of the other color. Therefore,
the knight can not arrive at the oposite end of the
diagonal of the chessboard in 63 moves: the intial and
final squares are the same color.

divisible by 7, or yields a remaider of 1 or 6 upon division

by 7, then one of the first three factors on the right is
divisible by 7. If n yields a remainder of 2 when divided
by 7 (that is, n = 7 k + 2), then n2 yields a remainder of 4
when divided by 7 (that is, n2 = 49h 2 + 28k + 4), and so
n2 + n + 1 is divisible by 7. Similar reasoning shows that if
n = 7 k + 4, then again n2 + n + 1 is divisible by 7. For the
remainders 3 or 5, n2 - n + 1 is divisible by 7.

(a) n3 - n is divisible by 3;
(b) n5 - n is divisible by 5;

(c) n7 - n is divisible by 7;
Sol. Consider the total number of handshakes which have
(d) n11 - n is divisible by 11;
been completed at any moment. This must be an even
(e) n13 - n is divisible by 13
number, since every handshake is participated in by two
people, thus the total number is increased by two. The
Note: Observe that n9 - n is not necessarily divisible by 9
number of handshakes, however, is also the sum of the
(for example, 29 - 2 = 250 is not divisible by 9)
handshakes made by each individual person. Since this
Problems (a-e) are special cases of a gerneral theorem;
sum is an even number, the count of the people who have
see problem 240
shaken hands an odd number of times must be even
Sol.(a) By factorization, n3 - n = (n - 1) n (n + 1). The factors
( o th e rw i s e , o d d ti me s o d d w o uld gi ve n an o d d
on the right represent three consecutive integers, whence
contribution to the total).
one of them is divisible by 3.
2. In chess, is it possible for the knight to go (by allowable
( b ) n5 - n = n (n - 1)(n + 1)(n2 + 1). I f th e i nte ge r n
moves) from the lower left-hand corner of the board to
terminates with one of the digits 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, or 9, then
the upper right-hand corner and in the process to light
one of the first three factors on the right is divisible by 5.
exactly once on each square ?
If n ends in one of the digits 2, 3, 7 or 8, then n2 ends in 4
Sol.In order to traverse the chessboard, stopping precisely
or 9, and in this event n2 + 1 is divisible by 5.
once on each square, the knight must move 63 times. At
(c) n7 - n = n (n - 1)(n + 1)(n2 - n + 1)(n2 + n + 1). If n is
each move the knight goes from a square of one color to a

3.

Two-hundred students are positioned in 10 rows, each

containing 20 students. From each of the 20 columns thus
formed the shortest student is selected, and the tallest of
these 20 (short) students is tagged A. These students now
return to their initial places. Next the tallest student in
each row is selected, and from these 10 (tall) students the
shortest is tagged B. Which of the two tagged students is
the taller (if they are different people)?

Sol. Let A be the first of the selected students (that is, the
tallest of the short), and let B be the second of the
selected students (the shortest of the tall). If A and B
stand in the same row, then B is taller than A, since B is
the tallest student in that row. If A and B stand in the
same column, then again B is taller than A, since A and B
stand in the same column, then again B is taller than A,
since A is the shortest student in that column. Finally, if A
and B do not stand in either the same column or the same
row as does B. Then B is taller than C (since B is the
tallest in that row), Hence, again B is taller than A; and so
in every possible case B is taller than A.

( d ) n11 - n = n (n - 1)(n + 1)(n8 + n6 + n4 + n2 + 1). I f n

is divisible by 11, or yields the remainder 1 or 10 upon
division by 11, then one of the first three factors is
d i vis i b le b y 11. I f th e i s re mai nd e r i s e i th e r 2 o r
9 (n = 11k 2), then n2 clearly yields a remainder of 4; n4
yields a remainder of 5 = 6 - 11; n6 yields a remainder of
9 = 20 - 11 [ n6 = n4 . n2 = (11k + 5)(11k2 + 4)
= (11k1 + 5)(11k2 + 4) = 121k1 k2 + 11 (4k1 + 5k2 ) + 20],
and n8 yields a remainder of 3 = 25 - 22. It follows, in
either case, that n8 + n6 + n4 + n2 + 1 is divisible by 11. In
the same manner we can easily verify that if one of the
remainders is 3, 4, or 5 (the only remaining
p o s s i b i liti e s up o n d i vi s i o n o f n b y 11) , th e n
n8 + n6 + n4 + n2 + 1 is divisible by 11.
(e)
n13 - n = n (n - 1)(n + 1)(n2 + 1)(n4 - n2 + 1)
4
2
(n + n + 1). The procedure is analogous to that of
problem (d). If n is divisible by 13, or yields upon division
by 1 the remainder 1, then one of the first three factors
is divisible by 13; if n yields the remainder 5, then