Algebra 2.

5 AwesomeMath Summer Program 2024

Multivariable Factoring & Partial Fraction Decomposition

1 Problem Set 10
Problem 1: What is the least possible value of (xy − 1)2 + (x + y)2 for real numbers x and y?

1 1 1 1
Problem 2: Find the sum 1(3) + 3(5) + ··· + (2n−1)(2n+1) + ··· + 255(257) .

Problem 3: Factor a2 (b − c) + b2 (c − a) + c2 (a − b).

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Problem 4: The fraction 2x5x−11
2 +x−6 was obtained by adding the two fractions
A
x+2 and B
2x−3 , where
A and B are polynomials in the variable x. Find A and B.

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Problem 5: If x, y, and z are real numbers such that xy = 6, x − z = 2, and x + y + z = 9,
z2
compute xy − xz − xy .

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Problem 6: The number 104,060,465 is divisible by a five-digit prime number. What is that prime
number?

Problem 7: Consider the sequence defined by ak = k21+k for k ≥ 1. Given that am + am+1 + · · · +
an−1 = 1/29, for positive integers m and n with m < n, find m + n.

Problem 8: A rectangular box has integer edge lengths. The sum of the numerical values of its
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volume, its surface area, and its twelve edge lengths is 2015. Compute the length of the box’s
interior diagonal.

Problem 9: Factor completely the expression (a − b)3 + (b − c)3 + (c − a)3 .

Problem 10: Find the number of ordered pairs of integers (m, n) for which mn ≥ 0 and
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m3 + n3 + 99mn = 333 .

Problem 11: There are relatively prime positive integers s and t such tha
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100  
X n 1 s
2
− = .
n −1 n t
n=2

Find s + t.

Problem 12: Let A, M, and C be nonnegative integers such that A + M + C = 12. What is the
maximum value of A · M · C + A · M + M · C + A · C?

Problem 13: Evaluate the infinite sum

∞
X n
.
n4 + 4
n=1

1
Algebra 2.5 AwesomeMath Summer Program 2024
Problem 14: Simplify:
a3 b3 c3
+ + .
(a − b)(a − c) (b − a)(b − c) (c − a)(c − b)
Problem 15: Evaluate the expression
1 1 1 1 1 1




121 13 − 17 + 169 17 − 11
+ 289 11 − 13
1 1

1 1 1 1

.
11 13 − 17 + 13 17 − 11 + 17 11 − 13

Problem 16: Compute all real roots of:

(x − 30)3 + (2x − 30)3 + (3x − 30)3 = (6x − 90)3 .

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Problem 17: Given the polynomial P (x, y, z), prove that the polynomial

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Q(x, y, z) = P (x, y, z) + P (y, z, x) + P (z, x, y) − P (x, z, y) − P (z, y, x) − P (y, x, z)

is divisible by (x − y)(y − z)(z − x).

Problem 18: Suppose that P (x, y, z) is a homogeneous degree 4 polynomial in three variables

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such that P (a, b, c) = P (b, c, a) and P (a, a, b) = 0 for all real a, b, and c. If P (1, 2, 3) = 1, compute
P (2, 4, 8).
Note: P (x, y, z) is a homogeneous degree 4 polynomial if it satisfies P (ka, kb, kc) = k 4 P (a, b, c)
for all real k, a, b, c.

Problem 19: Compute

∞
om
X n
.
n 4 + n2 + 1
n=0

1 1 1
Problem 20: If x, y, and z are positive numbers satisfying x + y = 4, y + z = 1, and z + x = 73 ,
then what is the value of xyz?

Problem 21: Compute

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∞
X n+1
.
n2 (n + 2)2
n=1
Your answer in simplest form can be written as a/b, where a, b are relatively-prime positive integers.
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Find a + b.

Problem 22: Prove for all integers N > 1 that (N 2 )2014 − (N 11 )106 is divisible by N 6 + N 3 + 1.

Problem 23: Compute

(104 + 324)(224 + 324)(344 + 324)(464 + 324)(584 + 324)
.
(44 + 324)(164 + 324)(284 + 324)(404 + 324)(524 + 324)

Problem 24: Let p, q, and r be the distinct roots of the polynomial x3 − 22x2 + 80x − 67. There
exist real numbers A, B, and C such that
1 A B C
= + +
s3 − 22s2 + 80s − 67 s−p s−q s−r
1 1 1
for all real numbers s with s ̸∈ {p, q, r}. What is A + B + C?

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Algebra 2.5 AwesomeMath Summer Program 2024
Problem 25: There exists a unique strictly increasing sequence of nonnegative integers a1 < a2 <
· · · < ak such that,
2289 + 1
= 2a1 + 2a2 + · · · + 2ak .
217 + 1
What is k?

Problem 26: Determine the value of the sum

3 5 7 29
+ + + ··· + 2 .
12 · 22 22 · 32 32 · 42 14 · 152

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Problem 27: For n ≥ 3, let f (n) be the number of subsets of three elements that can be chosen
from a set of n distinct elements. Compute

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101
X 1
.
f (n)
n=3

3
Problem 28: How many pairs (m, n) of positive integers with m < n fulfill the equation 2008 =
1 1
m + n?

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Problem 29: Let m and n be positive integers such that

(m3 − 27)(n3 − 27) = 27(m2 n2 + 27).

Find the maximum possible value of m3 + n3 .

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Problem 30: Let x, y, and z be distinct real numbers. Prove that
√ √ √
3
x − y + 3 y − z + 3 z − x ̸= 0.

Problem 31: Find the least prime number greater than 1000 that divides
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21010 · 232020 + 1.

Problem 32: Show that the curve x3 + 3xy + y 3 = 1 contains only one set of three distinct points,
A, B, and C, which are vertices of an equilateral triangle, and find its area.
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Problem 33: Find the maximum possible value of

2
a3 b3 c3

+ + ,
b2 c c2 a a2 b

where a, b, and c are nonzero real numbers satisfying

r r r
3
a 3 b c
a +b + c 3 = 0.
b c a

Problem 34: Find the number of ordered pairs of integers (x, y) such that

x2 y 2
 
1
− =3 2+ .
y x xy

3
Algebra 2.5 AwesomeMath Summer Program 2024
Problem 35: Suppose that x−1 + y −1 + z −1
= (x + y + z)−1 for nonzero numbers x, y, and z such
that x + y + z ̸= 0. Prove that xn + y n + z n = (x + y + z)n for all odd integers n.

Problem 36: How many ordered triples (a, b, c), where a, b, and c are from the set {1, 2, 3, . . . , 17},
satisfy the equation

a3 + b3 + c3 + 2abc = a2 b + a2 c + b2 c + ab2 + ac2 + bc2 ?

Problem 37: Let Γ be the maximum possible value of a + 3b + 9c among all triples (a, b, c) of
positive real numbers such that

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log30 (a + b + c) = log8 (3a) = log27 (3b) = log125 (3c).
p
If Γ = where p and q are relatively prime positive integers, then find p + q.

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q

Problem 38: The 2m numbers

1 · 2, 2 · 3, 3 · 4, . . . , 2m(2m + 1)

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are written on a blackboard, where m ≥ 2 is an integer. A move consists of choosing three numbers
a, b, c, erasing them from the board and writing the single number
abc
ab + bc + ca
.

After m − 1 such moves, only two numbers will remain on the blackboard. Supposing one of these
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is 43 , show that the other is larger than 4.

∞
p X 1
Problem 39: There are relatively prime positive integers p and q such that = .
q n − 5n3 + 4n
5
n=3
Find p + q.
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Problem 40: The polynomial P (x) = (1 + x + x2 + · · · + x17 )2 − x17 has 34 complex roots of the
form zk = rk [cos(2πak ) + i sin(2πak )], k = 1, 2, 3, . . . , 34, with 0 < a1 ≤ a2 ≤ a3 ≤ · · · ≤ a34 < 1
and rk > 0. Given that a1 + a2 + a3 + a4 + a5 = m/n, where m and n are relatively prime positive
integers, find m + n.
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P∞ k k+1
Problem 41: Express k=1 6 /((3 − 2k+1 )(3k − 2k )) as a rational number.

Problem 42: Given:

1 1 1
S =1+ 1 + 1 1 + ··· + 1 1 1
1+ 3 1+ 3 + 6 1+ 3 + 6 + ··· + 1993006

where the denominators contain partial sums of the sequence of reciprocals of triangular numbers
(i.e. k = n(n+1)
2 for n = 1, 2, . . .,1996). Prove that S > 1001.

∞
X n2 − 2n − 4
Problem 43: Find .
n4 + 4n2 + 16
n=2

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Algebra 2.5 AwesomeMath Summer Program 2024
Problem 44: Compute the value of the infinite series
∞
X n4 + 3n2 + 10n + 10
.
2n · (n4 + 4)
n=2

Problem 45: Compute the largest of the three prime divisors of 134 + 165 − 1722 .

5125 −1
Problem 46: Prove that 525 −1
is a composite number.

Problem 47: Find the least positive integer n such that

h
1 1 1 1
+ + ··· + = .
sin 45◦ sin 46◦ sin 47◦ sin 48◦ sin 133◦ sin 134◦ sin n◦

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n
Problem 48: Prove that for every nonnegative integer n, the number 77 + 1 is the product of at
least 2n + 3 (not necessarily distinct) primes.

3p − 5
Problem 49: Let q = where p is an odd prime, and let

Prove that if
1
p
− 2Sq =
m
n
2

Sq =
1
+
1
2·3·4 5·6·7
+ ··· +
eM 1
q · (q + 1) · (q + 2)
.

for relatively prime integers m and n, then m − n is divisible by p.

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es
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