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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge

Organised by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust

supported by

Solutions and investigations

1 February 2018
These solutions augment the printed solutions that we send to schools. For convenience, the
solutions sent to schools are confined to two sides of A4 paper and therefore in many cases are
rather short. The solutions given here have been extended. In some cases we give alternative
solutions, and we have included some exercises for further investigation. We welcome comments
on these solutions. Please send them to [email protected].
The Intermediate Mathematical Challenge (IMC) is a multiple-choice paper. For each question,
you are presented with five options, of which just one is correct. It follows that often you can find
the correct answers by working backwards from the given alternatives, or by showing that four of
them are not correct. This can be a sensible thing to do in the context of the IMC.
However, this does not provide a full mathematical explanation that would be acceptable if you
were just given the question without any alternative answers. So for each question we have
included a complete solution which does not use the fact that one of the given alternatives is
correct. Thus we have aimed to give full solutions with all steps explained (or, occasionally, left
as an exercise). We therefore hope that these solutions can be used as a model for the type of
written solution that is expected when a complete solution to a mathematical problem is required
(for example, in the Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad and similar competitions).

These solutions may be used freely within your school or college. You may, without further permission,
post these solutions on a website that is accessible only to staff and students of the school or college,
print out and distribute copies within the school or college, and use them in the classroom. If you wish
to use them in any other way, please consult us. © UKMT January 2018

Enquiries about the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge should be sent to:

IMC, UKMT, School of Mathematics Satellite, University of Leeds,
Leeds LS2 9JT
T 0113 343 2339 [email protected] www.ukmt.org.uk

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
B B C D B A B A E E B E C C E C D A D E D E A B D
Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

1. Which of these is the sum of the cubes of two consecutive integers?

A 4 B 9 C 16 D 25 E 36

Solution B
We see that
9 = 13 + 23,
and hence 9 is the sum of the cubes of two consecutive integers.

Note
In this context, it is sufficient to find one option that is correct, as we are entitled to assume that
in the IMC there is just one correct option.
It is, in fact, straightforward to check by listing the first few cubes that none of the other options
is correct. We leave this as an exercise.

For investigation

1.1 Show that none of the other numbers given as options, that is, 4, 16, 25 and 36, is the sum
of two consecutive cubes.
1.2 Calculate the following sums.
(a) 13 + 23 + 33 .
(b) 13 + 23 + 33 + 43 .
(c) 13 + 23 + 33 + 43 + 53 .
1.3 What do you notice about your answers to Problem 1.2?
1.4 Find a general formula for the sum of the cubes of the first n positive integers.
1.5 Prove that the formula given by your answer to Problem 1.4 is correct. Deduce that the
sum of the first n positive cubes is always a square.
1.6 Other than 13 + 23 + 33 = 62 , there is just one example where the sum of the cubes of
three consecutive positive integers is a square. Can you find this example?
Note
It is known that 13 + 23 = 32 is the only case where the sum of the cubes of two consecutive
positive integers is a square. However, we do not know a short elementary proof of this
fact. If you know of one, please send it to us (at [email protected]).
In order to establish this fact we would need to show that the only solution of the equation
x 3 + (x + 1)3 = y 2 in which x and y are positive integers is x = 1, y = 3.
The equation x 3 + (x + 1)3 = y 2 is an example of an equation of an elliptic curve. The
theory of the integer solutions of such equations is complicated. The theory of elliptic
curves was one of the ingredients of the proof by Andrew Wiles of “Fermat’s Last
Theorem”. By the way, elliptic curves are not ellipses. Search the web if you wish to
know how they come to have this name.
1.7 Sketch the graph of the curve given by the equation x 3 + (x + 1)3 = y 2 .

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

2. How many of these four integers are prime?

1 11 111 1111

A 0 B 1 C 2 D 3 E 4

Solution B
We begin by recalling the definition of a prime:

A positive integer n is said to be prime if n , 1 and the only divisors of n are 1 and n.

It follows from the definition that 1 is not prime. It is easy to see that 11 is prime. Since
111 = 3 × 37, it follows that 111 is not prime. Since 1111 = 11 × 101, it follows that 1111 is not
prime.
Therefore just one of the given integers is prime.

Note
It is just a convention not to regard 1 as a prime number, but it is a standard convention that it is
important to remember.
“In case you’re wondering, I’ll mention that 1 is not prime. That’s not because of some interesting
philosophical point, or because it’s only got one number that divides into it rather than two, or
anything like that. Definitions (such as that of a prime number) don’t get handed to mathematicians
on stone tablets. Rather, part of the job of mathematicians is to make good definitions, ones that
lead to interesting mathematics, and it turns out to be better to define 1 not to be prime.” Vicky
Neale, Closing the Gap: the quest to understand prime numbers, Oxford University Press, 2017.

For investigation

be factorized as r × s, where r and s are integers, at least one of r and s will be

2.1 If n can √
at most n. [Why?] Therefore, to test whether an integer n, with n > √ 1, is prime it is
sufficient to see whether n is divisible by a prime p in the range 2 ≤ p ≤ n. The integer
n is prime if, and only if, it has no prime divisor in this range.
Use this criterion to show that 11 is prime and to test whether the following are primes.
(a) 91, (b) 107, (c) 899, (d) 901, (e) 907.
2.2 Find the prime factorizations of the following integers.
(a) 11 111, (b) 111 111, (c) 1 111 111.
2.3 A positive integer which may be written as a string of 1s is called a repunit (short for
repeated units). Show that if n is not a prime number, then the repunit consisting of a
string of n 1s is not a prime number.
2.4 We have already noted that the repunit 111 consisting of a string of three 1s is not a prime.
This shows that the converse of Problem 2.3 is not true in general; if n is a prime, the
repunit consisting of a string of n 1s need not be a prime.
Find the least prime number n, with n > 2, such that the repunit consisting of a string of n
1s is a prime. (Note: as the repunits you will need to check are quite large, you will need
an electronic aid to test whether they are primes.)

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

3. In September 2016 a polymer £5 note was introduced. The Bank of England issued 440
million of them.
What is the total face value of all these notes?
A £220 000 000 B £440 000 000 C £2 200 000 000
D £4 400 000 000 E £22 000 000 000

Solution C
One million is 1 000 000. Therefore 440 million is 440 000 000. It follows that the total face
value of 440 million £5 notes is £(5 × 440 000 000) = £2 200 000 000.

4. A kite is made by joining two congruent isosceles triangles, as

shown. x°
What is the value of x? x°

A 36 B 54 C 60 D 72 E 80
x°

Solution D
Let the vertices of the kite be labelled as shown.
The question tells us that the triangles PQR and PRS are
isosceles. It follows that ∠QRP = ∠RQP = x° and that
∠SRP = ∠RSP = x°. Hence ∠SRQ = 2x°.
The sum of the angles of a quadrilateral is 360°. [You are
asked to prove this in Problem 4.1 below.] Therefore, from
the quadrilateral PQRS we have

x° + x° + 2x° + x° = 360°.

Therefore 5x° = 360° and hence x = 72.

For investigation

4.1 Prove that the sum of the angles of a quadrilateral is 360°.

4.2 The solution also uses the following theorem

The angles at the base of an isosceles triangle are equal to one another.

Find a proof of this theorem.

4.3 The theorem stated in Problem 4.2 is Proposition 5 of Euclid’s Elements, Book 1. In
the days when Euclid’s Elements was used as a textbook in schools this proposition was
known as the pons asinorum. Find out what this means, and why the theorem was given
this name.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

5. The adult human body has 206 bones. Each foot has 26 bones.
Approximately what fraction of the number of bones in the human body is found in one
foot?
1 1 1 1 1
A B C D E
6 8 10 12 20

Solution B
The required fraction is
26 13
= .
206 103
Since 103 = 7 × 13 + 12, we have
13 13 1
= = .
103 7 × 13 + 12 7 + 12
13

12 26 1
Because the integer closest to 7 + 13 is 8, we deduce that is approximately equal to .
206 8
For investigation
1 23
5.1 For which integer n does the fraction give the best approximation to ?
n 2018

6. In 2014, in Boston, Massachusetts, Eli Bishop set a world record for the greatest number
of claps per minute. He achieved 1020 claps in one minute.
How many claps is that per second?
A 17 B 16.5 C 16 D 15.5 E 15

Solution A
There are 60 seconds in one minute. Therefore 1020 claps per minute is the same as 1020 ÷ 60
claps per second.
Now
1020 102
= = 17.
60 6
Therefore Eli Bishop clapped at 17 claps per second.

For investigation

6.1 Suppose that each time Eli clapped he moved each of his hands through 10 cm, that is,
5 cm in moving the hands apart and then another 5 cm bringing them together again. On
this assumption, what was the average speed of movement of his hands in kilometres per
hour?

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

7. How many two-digit squares have the property that the product of their digits is also a
square?
A 0 B 1 C 2 D 3 E 4

Solution B
In the following table we have listed the two-digit squares together with the products of their
digits.

product of the digits

n n2 of n2
4 16 6
5 25 10
6 36 18
7 49 36
8 64 24
9 81 8

From this table we see that the only two-digit square which has the property that the product of
its digits is a square is 49. Therefore the number of two-digit squares with this property is 1.

For investigation

7.1 How many three-digit squares have the property that the product of their digits is the
square of a positive integer?
7.2 There are just two four-digit squares which have the property that the product of their
digits is the square of a positive integer. Can you find them?

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

8. The diagram shows a square of perimeter 20 cm inscribed inside

a square of perimeter 28 cm.
What is the area of the shaded triangle?
A 6 cm2 B 7 cm2 C 8 cm2 D 9 cm2
E 10 cm2

Solution A

A quick solution in the context of the IMC goes as follows:

Clearly the four triangles in the corners of the larger square are congruent, and so have the
same area. The squares have perimeters of lengths 20 cm and 28 cm. Hence their side lengths
are 5 cm and 7 cm, so their areas are 52 cm2 = 25 cm2 and 72 cm2 = 49 cm2 . The area of the
shaded region is one quarter of the difference between the areas of the squares. So the area of
the shaded region is 14 (49 − 25) cm2 = 6 cm2 .
However, for a full solution we need to spell out in detail how we know that the four triangles
are congruent. We give two methods for doing this.

Method 1

We let P, Q, R and S be the vertices of the larger square, and T, U, V

and W be the vertices of the smaller square, arranged as shown in the
figure.
Because PQRS is a square, ∠TQU = 90°. Therefore, applying the fact
that the sum of the angles in a triangle is 180° to triangle TQU, we have
∠QTU + ∠TUQ + 90° = 180°. Hence,

∠TUQ = 90° − ∠QTU. (1)

Because TUVW is a square, ∠UTW = 90°. Therefore, applying the fact that the sum of the
angles on a line is 180° to the angles at T, we have ∠QTU + 90° + ∠PTW = 180°. Hence
∠PTW = 90° − ∠QTU. (2)
By (1) and (2), ∠TUQ = ∠PTW. Similarly, ∠QTU = ∠TW P. Because TUVW is a square,
TU = WT. It follows that the triangles TQU and W PT are congruent. Similarly, these triangles
are also congruent to the triangles V SW and U RV. Therefore all these four triangles have the
same area. It follows that the area of the shaded region is one quarter of the area of the square
PQRS less the area of the square TUVW.
The square PQRS has perimeter 28 cm and hence it has side length 7 cm. The square TUVW
has perimeter 20 cm and hence side length 5 cm. Therefore these squares have areas 49 cm2 and
25 cm2 , respectively.
Hence the area of the shaded region is given by
2
1
4 (49 cm − 25 cm2 ) = 41 (24 cm2 ) = 6 cm2 .

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

Method 2

Let O be the centre of the square TUVW. It is left as an exercise (see

Problem 8.1) to show that O is also the centre of the square PQRS.
Consider the rotation of both squares through a quarter turn anticlockwise
about the point O.
The effect of this rotation is to move P to Q, Q to R, R to S and S to P.
It also moves T to U, U to V, V to W and W to T.

It follows that this rotation moves the triangle PTW to the position of the triangle QUT, QUT to
RVU, RVU to SWV and SWV to PTW. It follows that these four triangles all have the same area.
It then follows, as in Method 1, that the area of each of these triangles is a quarter of the difference
of the areas of the two squares. Hence the area of the shaded triangle is 6 cm2 .

For investigation

8.1 Show that the two squares PQRS and TUVW have the same centre.
Note
One way to do this is to suppose that O is the centre of the square
TUVW. We then let K be the point where the perpendicular from
O to SR meets SR, and let L be the point where the perpendicular
from O to PS meets PS.
Now show that the triangles OV K and OLW are congruent. It
will follow that OK = OL.

Deduce from this that O lies on the diagonal SQ.

In a similar way it may be shown that O lies on the diagonal PR, and hence that O is the
centre of the square PQRS.

3 n 2
9. Which integer n satisfies < < ?
10 20 5
A 3 B 4 C 5 D 6 E 7

Solution E
If we multiply both sides of an inequality by a positive number, we obtain an equivalent inequality.
Therefore, by multiplying by the positive number 20, we see that the given inequalities are
equivalent to
6 < n < 8.
The only integer that satisfies these inequalities is 7.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

10. Which of these integers cannot be expressed as the difference of two squares?
A 5 B 7 C 8 D 9 E 10

Solution E

Method 1

We see that 5 = 32 − 2 2 , 7 = 42 − 32 , 8 = 32 − 12 and 9 = 5 2 − 42 .

Therefore the first four integers given as options can be expressed as the difference of two squares.
In the context of the IMC it is safe to deduce that the remaining option, 10, cannot be expressed
as the difference between two squares.

Method 2

The first six squares are 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36. Once we get beyond 25 the difference between
consecutive squares is greater than 10. Hence if 10 could be expressed as the difference of squares,
the two squares in question would have both to be at most 25. However, it is straightforward
to check that there does not exist a pair of numbers taken from the list 1, 4, 9, 16, 25 whose
difference is 10.
Therefore we deduce that 10 cannot be expressed as the difference of two squares.

A third approach to Question 10 is to find exactly which positive integers are the difference of
two squares. Problems 10.1 and 10.2 lead you in this direction.

For investigation

10.1 Prove that every odd integer can be expressed as the difference of two squares.
10.2 Determine which even integers can be expressed as the difference of two squares.
10.3 Deduce the answer to Question 10 from your answers to the above two problems.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

11. The diagram shows a regular hexagon which has been divided
into six regions by three of its diagonals. Two of these regions
have been shaded. The total shaded area is 20 cm2 .
What is the area of the hexagon?
A 40 cm2 B 48 cm2 C 52 cm2 D 54 cm2
E 60 cm2

Solution B
Let the area of the hexagon be a cm2 .
In the figure on the right we have added two more of the diagonals
of the hexagon, and a line joining the midpoints of two opposite
edges.
The lines in the figure divide the hexagon into 12 congruent
triangles. The shaded region is covered by 5 of these triangles.
Hence the shaded area makes up five-twelfths of the total area of
the hexagon.

The area of the shaded region is 20 cm2 . Therefore,

5
a = 20.
12
It follows that
12
a= × 20 = 48.
5
Hence, the area of the hexagon is 48 cm2 .

For investigation

11.1 Prove the assertion made in the above solution that the 12 triangles in the above figure are
all congruent.
11.2 What is the length of each of the edges of the hexagon?

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

12. Someone has switched the numbers around on Harry’s calculator! 789 987
The numbers should be in the positions shown in the left-hand diagram, 456 654
123 321
but have been switched to the positions in the right-hand diagram.
Which of the following calculations will not give the correct answer when Harry uses
his calculator?
A 79 × 97 B 78 × 98 C 147 × 369 D 123 × 321
E 159 × 951

Solution E
Six of the numbers have been switched round in pairs, as follows:
1 ←→ 3 4 ←→ 6 7 ←→ 9. The numbers 2, 5 and 8 are unchanged.
We consider the effect of these interchanges on each of the given calculations in turn.
79 × 97 becomes 97 × 79. We have 97 × 79 = 79 × 97.
78 × 98 becomes 98 × 78. We have 98 × 78 = 78 × 98.
147 × 369 becomes 369 × 147. We have 369 × 147 = 147 × 369.
123 × 321 becomes 321 × 123 We have 321 × 123 = 123 × 321.
159 × 951 becomes 357 × 753. However 753 × 357 , 159 × 951.
Therefore it is calculation E that does not give the correct answer.

13. The diagram shows a rhombus and two sizes of regular hexagon.
What is the ratio of the area of the smaller hexagon to the area of
the larger hexagon?
A 1:2 B 1:3 C 1:4 D 1:8 E 1:9

Solution C
From the figure in the question we see that the rhombus and the smaller hexagon have the same
side lengths. We also see that the side length of the larger hexagon is equal to the sum of the side
lengths of the rhombus and the smaller hexagon. Therefore the ratio of the side length of the
smaller hexagon to that of the larger hexagon is 1 : 2.
Hence the ratio of the area of the smaller hexagon to that of the larger hexagon is 12 : 22 , that is,
1 : 4.

For investigation

13.1 Explain why it is true that if the lengths of corresponding edges of two similar polygons
are in the ratio a : b, then their areas are in the ratio a2 : b2 .

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

10 9
14. Which of these is equal to + ?
9 10
A 1 B 2 C 2.01Û D 2.1Û E 2.2Û

Solution C
Putting the two fractions over a common denominator, we have
10 9 10 × 10 + 9 × 9 100 + 81 181 1
+ = = = =2+ .
9 10 90 90 90 90
1 Û Hence, as a decimal, 1 is 0.01.
Û Therefore,
Now, as a decimal, is the recurring decimal 0.1.
9 90
1
2+ = 2 + 0.01Û = 2.01.
Û
90

For investigation
10 9
14.1 Work out each of the fractions and as decimals. Then add the two decimals.
9 10

15. How many of these four shapes could be the shape of the region where two triangles
overlap?

equilateral triangle square regular pentagon regular hexagon

A 0 B 1 C 2 D 3 E 4

Solution E
We see from the figures below that each of the four given shapes can be obtained as the intersection
of two triangles.

equilateral triangle square regular pentagon regular hexagon

For investigation

15.1 Find examples of shapes that cannot be the shape of the region where two triangles overlap.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

16. The diagram shows a triangle with edges of length 3, 4

and 6.
A circle of radius 1 is drawn at each vertex of the triangle.
What is the total shaded area?
9π 5π 11π
A 2π B C D
4 2 4
E 3π

Solution C
We let the vertices of the triangle be X, Y , Z and the angles
be x°, y°, z°, as shown in the figure.
Because the circle with centre X has radius 1, it has area
π12 , that is, π. Of this area, the fraction that is not shaded
x x
is . Hence the fraction that is shaded is 1− . Hence
360 360
 x 
the area that is shaded is 1 − π. Similarly the areas
360
 y 
of the other two circles that are shaded are 1 − π
360
 z 
and 1 − π.
360

It follows that the total area that is shaded is given by

 x   y   z   x + y + z
1− π+ 1− π+ 1− π = 3− π.
360 360 360 360
Now, because x°, y° and z° are the three angles of a triangle, x + y + z = 180. Hence
 x + y + z  180   1 5π
3− π = 3− π = 3− π = .
360 360 2 2

5π
Hence the total shaded area is .
2
[Note that this answer is the same whatever the lengths of the edges of the triangle provided that
they are sufficiently large that the circles do not overlap.]

For investigation

16.1 The figure shows four circles each with radius 1 whose centres
are the vertices of a quadrilateral.
What is the total shaded area?
16.2 What is the total shaded area in the general case where the
quadrilateral is replaced by a polygon with n vertices?

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

17. How many three-digit numbers are increased by 99 when their digits are reversed?
A 4 B 8 C 10 D 80 E 90

Solution D
We use the notation ‘cba’ to denote the number with hundreds digit c, tens digit b and units digit
a. Thus ‘cba’ denotes the number 100c + 10b + a.
The number obtained by reversing the digits of ‘cba’ is ‘abc’. The increase that results when its
digits are reversed is therefore

‘abc’ − ‘cba’ = (100a + 10b + c) − (100c + 10b + a) = 99(a − c).

Hence, the condition that the three-digit number ‘cba’ is increased by 99 when its digits are
reversed is that a − c = 1, that is, a = c + 1.
Now let ‘cba’ be one such three-digit number. The hundreds digit c cannot be 0. Because a ≤ 9,
and a = c + 1, we see that c ≤ 8. Therefore there are 8 choices for the hundreds digit c, namely,
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. The tens digit b can be any of the 10 digits. However, once c has been
chosen, there is just l choice for a, since a = c + 1.
Therefore the total number of choices for a three-digit number ‘cba’ which is increased by 99
when its digits are reversed is 8 × 10 × 1 = 80.

For investigation

17.1 How many three-digit numbers are increased by 100 when their digits are reversed?
17.2 How many three-digit numbers are increased by 198 when their digits are reversed?
17.3 How many four-digit numbers are increased by 1089 when their digits are reversed?
17.4 Let n be a three-digit number, and let n∗ be the number obtained from n by reversing the
order of its digits. What values can n − n∗ take?
17.5 Let n be a four-digit number, and let n∗ be the number obtained from n by reversing the
order of its digits. What values can n − n∗ take?

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

18. The diagram shows a regular pentagon and an equilateral triangle

placed inside a square.
What is the value of x?
A 24 B 26 C 28 D 30 E 32 x°

Solution A
We let P, Q, R, S, T and U be the vertices as labelled in the
figure on the right.

Our strategy is to calculate all the angles in the hexagon

PQRSTU other than the angle x°. We can then use the fact
that the sum of the angles in a hexagon is 720° to work out
the value of x.

We let P̂, Q̂, R̂, Ŝ, T̂ and Û be the interior angles of the hexagon
PQRSTU at the corresponding vertices.

First, P̂ = Q̂ = 90° because they are angles of a square.

Because it is an exterior angle of a regular pentagon, R̂ = 72°.
Because the interior angle of a regular pentagon is 108°, we have Ŝ = 360° − 108° = 252°.
Because the interior angle of a regular pentagon is 108° and the interior angle of an equilateral
triangle is 60°, we have T̂ = 360° − (108° + 60°) = 192°.
Finally, Û = x°.
Since the sum of the angles in a hexagon is 720°, it follows that

P̂ + Q̂ + R̂ + Ŝ + T̂ + Û = 720°.

Therefore, by the above facts about the angles in this equation,

90° + 90° + 72° + 252° + 192° + x° = 720°,

and hence
696 + x = 720.
It follows that x = 24.

For investigation

18.1 Prove the fact used in the above solution that the exterior angle of a regular pentagon is
72°.
18.2 Prove the fact used in the above solution that the sum of the angles in a hexagon is 720°.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

19. The three rectangles shown below all have the same area.

y y−3 y−4

x+4 x+8
x
What is the value of x + y?
A 4 B 6 C 8 D 10 E 12

Solution D

Method 1

Because the rectangle with side lengths x + 4 and y − 3 has the same area as the rectangle with
side lengths x and y, it follows that
(x + 4)(y − 3) = xy. (1)
Similarly, because the rectangle with side lengths x + 8 and y − 4 has the same area as the
rectangle with side lengths x and y,
(x + 8)(y − 4) = xy. (2)
By expanding the left hand sides of equations (1) and (2), we obtain
x y − 3x + 4y − 12 = x y (3)
and
x y − 4x + 8y − 32 = x y. (4)
By subtracting xy from both sides of equations (3) and (4), it follows that
−3x + 4y = 12 (5)
and
−4x + 8y = 32. (6)
We now subtract twice equation (5) from equation (6). This gives
(−4x + 8y) − (−6x + 8y) = 32 − 24.
That is, 2x = 8, and hence
x = 4.
Substituting this value for x in equation (5) we deduce that
−12 + 4y = 12.
Hence
4y = 24
and it follows that
y = 6.

Therefore x + y = 4 + 6 = 10.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

Method 2

In the figure on the right we have drawn the rectangle with side
lengths x + 4 and y − 3 overlapping the rectangle with side lengths
x and y. This produces three rectangles. We let their areas be R, S
and T, as indicated in the figure.
As the two original rectangles have the same area, R + S = R + T,
and therefore S = T.

We see from the figure that S is the area of a rectangle with side lengths x and 3, and T is the
area of a rectangle with side lengths 4 and y − 3. Therefore

3x = 4(y − 3).

This equation may be rearranged as

−3x + 4y = 12. (1)

Similarly, by drawing the rectangle with side lengths x + 8

and y − 4 overlapping the rectangle with side lengths x and
y, as shown in the figure on the right, we obtain a rectangle
with side lengths 4 and x, and a rectangle with side lengths 8
and y − 4 which have equal areas.

Therefore
4x = 8(y − 4),
and hence
−4x + 8y = 32. (2)

Equations (1) and (2) are the same as equations (5) and (6) of Method 1. Therefore, as in Method
1, we may deduce from these equations that x + y = 4 + 6 = 10.

For investigation

19.1 The three rectangles shown below all have the same area.
Find the values of x and y.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

20. A particular integer is the smallest multiple of 72, each of whose digits is either 0 or 1.
How many digits does this integer have?
A 4 B 6 C 8 D 10 E 12

Solution E
In this question we use the notation ‘ . . . cba’ for the positive integer which has units digit a, tens
digit b, hundreds digit c, and so on.
We first note that 72 = 8 × 9. Hence, as 8 and 9 have no common factors (other than 1), the test
for whether a number is divisible by 72 is that it should be divisible both by 8 and by 9.
Next we consider the criteria for divisibility by 8 and by 9. These are as follows.
• For the number ‘ . . . cba’ to be divisible by 8, the number ‘cba’ made up of its last three digits
has to be divisible by 8.
• For the number ‘ . . . cba’ to be divisible by 9, the sum of its digits has to be divisible by 9.
It is easy to check that if each of the digits a, b and c is either 0 or 1, and ‘cba’ is divisible by 8,
then ‘cba’ = ‘000’.
The sum of the digits of an integer each of whose digits is 0 or 1 is equal to the number of its
digits that are 1s. So if the integer is to be divisible by 9, the number of its digits that are 1s
has to be a multiple of 9. The fewer the number of digits, the smaller the number will be. The
smallest positive multiple of 9 is, of course, 9 itself.
So the integer we seek is the integer with the smallest number of digits which ends with three 0s
and includes nine 1s. This the integer which consists of nine 1s followed by three 0s.
Therefore the required integer is 111 111 111 000. This has 12 digits.

For investigation

20.1 Check the truth of the statement in the above argument that if each of the digits a, b and c
is either 0 or 1, and ‘cba’ is divisible by 8, then ‘cba’ = ‘000’.
20.2 Explain why the criterion given in the above argument for a number to be divisible by 8 is
correct.
20.3 Explain why the criterion given in the above argument for a number to be divisible by 9 is
correct.
20.4 Which is the smallest integer, each of whose digits is either 0 or 1, which is greater than
111 111 111 000 and is divisible by 72?
20.5 Factorize 111 111 111 000 into prime factors.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

21. For certain values of x, the list x, x + 6 and x 2 contains just two different numbers.
How many such values of x are there?
A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4 E 5

Solution D
Whatever value x takes, x is not equal to x + 6. Therefore, the values of x for which there are just
two different numbers in the list are those for which either x 2 = x or x 2 = x + 6.
The equation
x2 = x
may be rearranged as
x 2 − x = 0.
The left-hand side of this last equation may be factorized to give

x(x − 1) = 0.

From this we see that there are two values of x for which x 2 = x, namely 0 and 1.
The equation
x2 = x + 6
may be rearranged as
x 2 − x − 6 = 0.
The left-hand side of this last equation may be factorized to give

(x + 2)(x − 3) = 0.

From this we see that there are two values of x for which x 2 = x + 6, namely −2 and 3.
Therefore there are altogether 4 different values for x for which there are just two different
numbers in the list, namely, −2, 0, 1 and 3.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

22. Three squares, with side-lengths 2, are placed together edge-to-edge

to make an L-shape. The L-shape is placed inside a rectangle so that
all five vertices of the L-shape lie on the rectangle, one of them at the
midpoint of an edge, as shown.
What is the area of the rectangle?
A 16 B 18 C 20 D 22 E 24

Solution E

Method 1

Let d be the length of the diagonals of the squares. Each

diagonal is the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle whose other
sides are each of length 2. Therefore,
√ √by Pythagoras’ Theorem
2 2 2
d = 2 + 2 = 8. Hence d = 8 = 2 2.
We √therefore
√ see from √ the figure that the width of the rectangle
is√2 2 +√ 2, that is, √
3 2. Also, the height of the rectangle is
2 2 + 2 2, that is, 4 2.
Hence the area of the rectangle is given by
√ √ √ 2
3 2 × 4 2 = 3 × 4 × 2 = 3 × 4 × 2 = 24.

Method 2

We divide the rectangle into 12 congruent smaller squares as shown

in the figure.
From the figure we see that the three 2×2 squares cover 12 triangles
each of which is half of one of 12 smaller squares.
It follows that the three larger squares cover half the area of the
rectangle. Therefore the area of the rectangle is twice the area of
the three 2 × 2 squares. Therefore the area of the rectangle is


2 × 3 × (2 × 2) = 24.

For investigation

22.1 Both the above methods tacitly assume that the angles between the sides of the squares
and the sides of the rectangle are all 45°.
Prove that this assumption is correct.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

23. The diagram shows a hexagon. All the interior angles of

the hexagon are 120°. The lengths of some of the sides are
indicated.
What is the area of the hexagon?
√ √ √ √
A 20 3 B 21 3 C 22 3 D 23 3
√
E 24 3

Solution A
We√give two methods. Both use the fact that the area of an equilateral triangle with side length s
is 43 s2 . The proof of this is left as an exercise (See Problem 23.1).

Method 1

The solution by Method 1 may seem rather long. But this is only because we have given the
geometrical details. In the context of IMC, where you are not asked to explain your solutions,
the answer could be obtained using this method quite quickly.

We have labelled the vertices of the hexagon as

shown in the figure. The points where the sides
of the hexagon QP, RS and TU meet when
extended have been labelled X, Y and Z, as
shown.
Because all the interior angles of the hexagon
are 120° and the angles at a point have sum 180°,
we have ∠RQY = ∠QRY = 60°. Because the
sum of the angles in a triangle is 180°, it follows
that ∠RYQ = 60°. Therefore the triangle QY R
is equilateral, and hence Y R = YQ = QR = 1.
Similarly, the triangle T SZ is equilateral and
SZ = ZT = ST = 2.
Similarly, the triangle X PU is equilateral. We work out the length of its sides as follows.
We see that Y Z has length 1 + 8 + 2, that is, 11. Also, because ∠RYQ = ∠T Z S = 60°, the triangle
XY Z is equilateral. Therefore XY = X Z = Y Z = 11. It follows that PX = 6. Hence XU and
PU also have length 6.
The area of the hexagon PQRSTU is equal to the area of the equilateral triangle XY√Z, less the
areas of the equilateral triangles QY R, T SZ and X PU. Therefore, using the formula 43 s2 for the
area of an equilateral triangle with side length s, we deduce that the area of the hexagon is given
by
√ √ √ √ √
3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 2 2 2
4 (11 ) − 4 (1 ) − 4 (2 ) − 4 (6 ) = 4 (11 − 1 − 2 − 6 )
√
3
√
3
√
= 4 (121 − 1 − 4 − 36) = 4 (80) = 20 3.

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

Method 2

We divide the hexagon into equilateral

triangles all of which have side length 1,
as shown in the figure. By counting we
see that there are 80 of these triangles.
√
It follows from the formula 43 s2 for the
area of an equilateral triangle with side
length s that each of 80 equilateral√ triangles
with side length 1 has has area 43 .

Therefore the total area of these triangles is

√
3
√
80 × 4 = 20 3.

For investigation
√
3 2
23.1 Prove that the area of an equilateral triangle with side length s is 4 s .

[A proof using the formula 12 ab sin θ for the area of a triangle with two sides with lengths
a and b and included
√
angle θ is complete only if you show that this formula is correct, and
3
that sin 60° = 2 .]
23.2 The hexagon of this question is a hexagon all of whose interior angles are 120° but all
of whose sides have different lengths. Give another example of a hexagon with these
properties.
23.3 Find a condition on a sequence a, b, c, d, e, f of positive integers for there to be a hexagon
all of whose angles are 120° and whose side lengths are a, b, c, d, e and f as you go
round the hexagon anticlockwise.
[Note that the existence of regular hexagons shows that, for each positive integer k, the
sequence k, k, k, k, k, k has the required property. Also, the hexagon of this question
shows that the sequence 1, 8, 2, 3, 6, 4 has this property.]

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

24. A list of 5 positive integers has mean 5, mode 5, median 5 and range 5.
How many such lists of 5 positive integers are there?
A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4 E 5

Solution B
We suppose that the positive integers in the list are a, b, c, d and e, where a ≤ b ≤ c ≤ d ≤ e.
Because the median is 5, we have c = 5.
Because the mode is 5, there must be at least two 5s in the list. Therefore, either b = 5 or d = 5.
Because the range is 5, we have e = a + 5. Hence the list is either

a, 5, 5, d, a + 5 or a, b, 5, 5, a + 5.

Because the 5 numbers in the list have mean 5, their sum is 5 × 5, that is, 25. Therefore in
the first case a + 5 + 5 + d + (a + 5) = 25 and hence d = 10 − 2a, and in the second case,
a + b + 5 + 5 + (a + 5) = 25 and hence b = 10 − 2a.
Hence the list is either

a, 5, 5, 10 − 2a, a + 5 or a, 10 − 2a, 5, 5, a + 5.

In the first case we have 5 ≤ 10 − 2a ≤ a + 5, and hence 2a ≤ 5 and 5 ≤ 3a. It follows that, as a
is an integer, 2 is the only possible value for a.
In the second case we have a ≤ 10 − 2a ≤ 5, and hence 3a ≤ 10 and 5 ≤ 2a. It follows that, as a
is an integer, 3 is the only possible value for a.
It follows that the only lists that satisfy the given conditions are

2, 5, 5, 6, 7 and 3, 4, 5, 5, 8.

Therefore there are just 2 lists that meet the given conditions.

For investigation

24.1 How many lists are there of 6 positive integers which have mean 6, mode 6, median 6 and
range 6?
24.2 How many lists are there of 7 positive integers which have mean 7, mode 7, median 7 and
range 7?

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Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2018 Solutions and investigations

25. The diagram shows two equilateral triangles. The distance

from each point of the smaller
√ triangle to the nearest point
of the larger triangle is 3, as shown.
√
What is the difference between the lengths of the edges of 3
the two triangles?
√ √
A 2 3 B 4 21 C 3 3 D 6
√
E 4 3

Solution D
We label the vertices of the two triangles as shown in the
figure. We let V and W, respectively, be the points where
the perpendiculars from T and U to QR meet QR.
Because
√ each point of the triangle STU is at the distance
3 from the √nearest point of the triangle PQR, we have
TV = UW = 3.
√
Similarly, the distance from T to PQ is 3. Therefore T is
equidistant from the sides QR and QP of the triangle PQR.

Hence the line QT bisects the angle of the equilateral triangle at Q. [You are asked to prove this
in Problem 25.1.] Therefore ∠VQT = 30°.
It follows that the
√ triangle TQV has one right angle and its other angles are 30° and 60°. Therefore
QT = 2TV = 2 3.
By Pythagoras’ Theorem applied to this triangle, QT 2 = QV 2 + TV 2 . It follows that QV 2 =
√ √ 2
QT 2 − TV 2 = (2 3)2 − 3 = 12 − 3 = 9. Hence QV = 3. Similarly W R = 3.
Because TVWU is a rectangle, TU = VW. Hence, we have

QR = QV + VW + W R = 3 + TU + 3 = TU + 6.

It follows that the difference between the lengths of the edges of the two triangles is 6.

For investigation

25.1 Prove that, because T is equidistant from the sides QR and QP of the triangle PQR, it
follows that QT bisects the angle of the triangle at Q.
25.2 Explain why it follows from the facts that ∠QVT = 90° and ∠TQV = 30° that QT = 2TV.
25.3 Prove that TVWU is a rectangle.

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