UCL Problem Solving Class

4 February 2015

Week 5: Invariants
Consider the following simple problems:
1. Starting with 99, you may add or subtract multiples of two. Can you reach zero?
2. Can a 5x13 rectangle be cut up into pieces and rearranged into an 8x8 square?
Both these problems can be easily solved by considering an invariant, i.e. something that does
not change. In the first case, this is the parity (i.e. odd or even) of the number, in the second,
it is the total area of the pieces. In each of the following problems, try to construct a suitable
invariant (or monovariant) that plays a similar role as in the above examples.
Problem 1. Suppose the numbers 1 to 20 are written on a whiteboard. At each turn, you may
erase two numbers a and b and write the sum a + b in their place. After 19 such turns, there
will be one number left on the board. What will this number be?
Problem 2. Consider the set-up in Problem 1. This time, instead of writing the sum a + b you
write the difference a b. Will the final number left on the board be even or odd? Why?
Problem 3. On an 8x8 chessboard, you may successively repaint (i.e. black to white, white to
black) all of the squares in a row or column. Is it possible to attain just one black square?
Problem 4. Consider an 8x8 chessboard with the top right and bottom left squares removed.
Can the remaining board be completely covered with 2x1 dominoes?
Problem 5. Three coins lie well spaced out on a table. Each turn, you flick one of the coins
so that it passes between the other two without touching them. If you do this 2015 times, is it
possible for you to return each of the coins to their original positions?
Problem 6. In the table on the right, you are allowed to switch the signs of

1 1 1

all numbers of any row, any column or any parallel to either diagonal. In particular,
you can always switch the sign of one of the corner squares. Is it possible to get
all positive numbers?

1 1 1

-1 1 1 1
1

1 1 1

Problem 7. Can a 10x10 board be completely covered by T-shaped Tetris blocks?

Problem 8. Three grasshoppers are placed on the corners of a square. A grasshoppers may
jump in a straight line over another grasshopper, as long as they land the same distance away
on the other side. Can a grasshopper ever reach the fourth vertex of the square?

Problem 9. Some of the squares on an 20x20 board are infected. Each year, the infection will
spread to a new square if two or more of the squares that share an edge with it are already
infected. What is the minimum number of squares that must be initially infected in order for
the infection to eventually spread to the whole board?
Problem 10. Consider the set-up in Problem 1. This time, instead of erasing two numbers a
and b and writing the sum a + b, you instead write the number a + b + ab. After 19 such turns,
there will be one number left on the board. What will this number be?
Problem 11. If you place twenty-one 3x1 tiles onto an 8x8 board, there will of course be a
single square left uncovered. What are the possible positions of the uncovered square?
Problem 12. Three amoeba are placed at positions (0, 0), (1, 0) and (0, 1) on a two-dimensional
lattice. Each turn, one of the amoeba reproduces by splitting in two, with one offspring moving
to the site directly right and the other offspring moving to the site directly above, but only if
both of these sites are currently vacant. Is it possible that eventually the three initial sites will
all be free of amoeba?
Some more challenging problems
Problem 13. Suppose the numbers 3, 4 and 12 are written on the whiteboard. You may erase
two numbers a and b and replace them with 0.6a 0.8b and 0.8a + 0.6b. After a certain number
of turns, is it possible to end up with three positive integers distinct from the initial set?
Problem 14 (Conways soldiers). On a two-dimensional lattice, an infinite army is positioned
below a horizontal line. The soldiers move by jumping over each other vertically or horizontally,
which causes the soldier that was jumped over to vanish. How far above the horizontal line can
the soldiers advance (with a finite number of moves)?
A problem to think about for next time
Problem 15. If you havent seen it before, look up the principle of mathematical inducation
and its applications. Use induction to prove the the following: Given an unlimited supply of 3
and 5 pence stamps, show that you can create any stamp price greater than 7 pence.