1. Medium: The integer n is a solution to 8n + 4n + 2n + 1 = 4368.

Then cos( nπ
3 )=
√ √
a) −1 b)− 2/2 c) −1/2 d) 0 e) 3/2
Solution: c)
√
2. Easy: The smallest zero point of the function f = t cos(t) + 3t sin(t), t > 0, is at
a) π/2 b) 2π/3 c) 3π/4 d) 5π/6 e) 11π/6
Solution: d)
√
√ t 3t π
f= 4t2 ( √ cos(t) + √ sin(t)) = 2t(sin(t + )).
2
t + 3t 2 2
t + 3t2 6

This function has zero at 5π/6, 11π/6.

3. Medium: If X + Y = 8, log2 (XY ) = 2. Then Y =

√ √ √ √ √
a) 4 ± 2 3 b) 5 ± 3 2 c) 8 ± 2 3 d) 6 ± 6 2 e) 6 ± 4 5
Solution: a)
√
2x = X, 2y = Y, 2x+y + 22y = 8 × 2y ⇒ (2y )2 − 8(2y ) + 4 = 0 ⇒ 2y = 4 ± 2 3.

14
X i 1 2 14
4. Medium: The sum S = i
= + 2 + ... + 14 is equal to
i=1
2 2 2 2
255 1023 2047 4095
a) 1 b) c) d) e) .
128 512 1024 4096
Solution: d)

5. Medium: Find the first three correct decimal of the following expression
1
x=
1
2+
1
2+
1
2+
1
2+
2
a) 0.388 b) 0.395 c) 0.414 d) 0.424 e) 0.435
1 2
√
−2± 4+4
√
−2±2 2
√
Solution: c) x ≈ 2+x . x + 2x − 1 = 0. So x = 2 = 2 . So x = −1 + 2.

6. Medium: What is the sum of the squares of the integer solutions of the equation
2
−5x+6
xx = 1.

a) 13 b) 14 c) 15 d) 16 e) 17
Solution: c) Roots are x = 1, 2, 3, and −1.
7. Easy: Solve

61/x + 3 · 91/x = 2 · 41/x .

(a) −3 (b) −2 (c) − 23 (d) −1 (e) 0

Solution: d)
 8. Easy: Find the units digit of 52023 + 62023 + 92023 .
(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4 (e) 5
Answer: b) 5+6+1 = 12, so 2.
9. Medium: The equation
1 1 n
+ = (1)
a b a+b
has a solution for some positive real numbers a, b if n is at least
(a) 0 (b) 1 (c) 2 (d) 3 (e) 4
Solution: e)

10. George wants to travel 2 miles at an average speed of 60 mph. George takes his time for the first mile
and goes only 30 mph. How fast must he travel the second mile to average 60 mph?
(a) 90 mph (b) 105 mph (c) 120 mph (d) 150 mph (e) None of the above.
Solution: e) Answer: you can’t. You already took 2 minutes to travel the first mile; you need to travel
the second mile in no time at all. Not even the speed of list if fast enough!

11. Easy:
Enrollment in the math club of a high school attended by several girls and boys doubled after the sponsor
started bringing pizza to each meeting, and attendance by girls jumped by 50%. Question: What can
be said about the percentage of female students attending this club?
(a) Decreased by 25% (b) Stayed the same (c) Increased by 50% (d) Increased by 75% (e) Increased by
100%
Solution: a)
ANSWER: decreased 25%. Ask the same question about the boys and the answer is that it cannot be
determined from the information given, I believe.

12. Easy: Find the product of the solutions for the equation:
2
255x = 125x +1

1
a) −1 b) 0 c) 3 d) 1 e) 3.
Solution: d)

13. Easy: The sum of the roots of x4 − 5x2 + 4 = 0 is

(a) -4 (b) -2 (c) 0 (d) 3 (e) 5
Solution: c.
14. Hard: Find the sum of the first 2023 terms of the sequence
     
π 1 1 1
, arctan , arctan , ... , arctan , ...
4 3 7 n2 + n + 1

a) π/3 b) arctan(1011) c) arctan(2023) d) arctan(4044) e) π/2.

Solution: c)

 
1
arctan = arctan(n + 1) − arctan(n). (2)
n2 + n + 1

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15. Easy: What is
 2
3
e3 ln(x )
?

2
a) ln(27x2 ) b) x6 c) 27x6 d) x18 e) e9x .
Solution: d)
16. Medium: The n! is the product of the first n natural numbers, i.e., n! = 1 · 2 · 3 · ... · n. Then
2023!
2021! + 2022!
is equal to
a) 1 b) 2021 c) 2022 d) 2023 e) 4046.
Solution: c)
17. Hard: The ∆ABC is isosceles with AB = AC = 1 and ∠A = 30◦ . Let ∆BCD be an isosceles right
triangle with ∠C = 90◦ , not overlapping with p
∆ABC. Find the length p
of AD.
√
6
√ √ √ √
(a) 2 (b) 3 − 1 (c) 4 − 3 (d) 4 + 3 (e) 3 + 1

C D
(not to scale)

Solution: c)
18. Hard: Let [ABCD] and [BEF G] be squares with A, B and E colinear points in this order and C and
F on the same side of the line AE, and let AB = 1. Find the maximum of the tan(∠AT D), where T is
at the intersection of AF and DE. √
(a) 1 (b) 4/3 (c) 3 (d) 2 (e) 7/3

G F

D C

A 1 B E
(not to scale)

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 Solution: b)
19. Medium: The year is 2023. A time traveler can jump into the future or the past only a number of years
equal with a divisor of 2023. He wants to attend the Gettysburg Address of President Lincoln in 1863.
What is the smallest number of jumps that he should take? We assume that there are no waiting time
between consecutive jumps and the actual event.
a) 2 b) 3 c) 4 d) 5 e) 6
Solution: c)
20. A large software development company employs 100 computer programmers. Of them, 45 are proficient
in Java, 30 in C#, 20 in Python, six in C# and Java, one in Java and Python, five in C# and Python,
and just one programmer is proficient in all three languages above. Determine the number of computer
programmers that are not proficient in any of these three languages.
(a) 14 (b) 16 (c) 18 (d) 20 (e) 22
Answer: (b) This is a standard inclusion/exclusion problem (or Venn diagram problem). The answer is
16.

21. Let a = 799 and N = 80718. Find a positive integer n so that the remainder of na, when divided by N ,
is equal to 1.
(a) 1012 (b) 2023 (c) 2122 (d) 4043 (e) 4243
Answer: e)
22. Easy: One night, a 6-feet tall person is standing 20 feet from a 30 feet high light. How long is the
person’s shadow?
(a) 3 feet (b) 4 feet (c) 5 feet (d) 6 feet (e) 7 feet
Answer: (c) Use similar triangles. Let x be the length of the person’s shadow. Observe that
x x + 20
= .
6 30
It follows that the shadow is 5 feet long.
23. Hard: Suppose z1 , z2 , z3 are the three roots of z 3 − 18z − 8 = 0. Simplify

(z1 − z2 )2 (z2 − z3 )2 (z3 − z1 )2

A= .
200

(a) 108 (b) 150 (c) 216 (d) 312. (e) 427
Solution: (a) Siming: Here we set q = 6, r = 4 in the original problem. Please double check!
Original problem: Suppose z1 , z2 , z3 are the three roots of z 3 − 3qz − 2r = 0. Simplify

(z1 − z2 )2 (z2 − z3 )2 (z3 − z1 )2

A= .
q3 − r2

(a) 108 (b) z12 + z22 + z32 (c) z1 z2 z3 (d) z1 z2 + z2 z3 + z3 z1 . (e) 27

Possible solution: if you believe the fraction A is a constant you can let the roots (z1 , z2 , z3 ) = (−1, 0, 1)
so that the polynomial equation is z 3 − z 2 = 0. Thus q = 31 and r = 0. So q 3 − r2 = 27 1
. Thus
2 2 2 1
(−1 − 0) (1 − 0) (1 − (−1)) = 4 = A 27 , so A = 4(27) = 108.

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24. Medium: Which of the following is nearest to the value of
p
2021 · 20232 · 2025 + 4 ?

(a) 20232 − 2 (b) 20232 − 1 (c) 20232 (d) 20232 + 1 (e) 20232 + 2

Solution: The answer is (a). Let u = 20232 . Then

2021 · 2025 = (2023 − 2) · (2023 + 2) = u − 4.

So p p p p
2021 · 20232 · 2025 + 4 = u(u − 4) + 4 = u2 − 4u + 4 = (u − 2)2 = u − 2.
√
Thus, the exact value of 2021 · 20232 · 2025 + 4 is u − 2 = 20232 − 2. 

Comment. This problem becomes easier than intended if we ask for the exact value. In particular, (b)
and (d) can be eliminated because they are odd and (c) can be eliminated fairly easily as well.
25. Medium:
The ∆ABC has AC = 3 and ∠A = 105◦ . Let M be the midpoint of AB and ∠AM C = ∠CM D =
◦
∠BM √ D =√60 , where D lies on√BC. √
If AM = x, CM = y, and DM = z, find xy + yz + zx.
6− 2 6+ 2 √
(a) (b) (c) 3 (d) 2 3 + 2 (e) 6
2 2

3 y

z
x
A M B
(not to scale)

Solution: e)

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