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Algebra Difficulty 2.6 Junior Find the answer

The smallest of nine consecutive integers is 2012. These nine integers are placed in the circles to the right. The sum of the three integers along each of the four lines is the same. If this sum is as small as possible, what is the value of uu?

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

If we have a configuration of the numbers that has the required property, then we can add or subtract the same number from each of the numbers in the circles and maintain the property. (This is because there are the same number of circles in each line.) Therefore, we can subtract 2012 from all of the numbers and try to complete the diagram using the integers from 0 to 8. We label the circles as shown in the diagram, and call SS the sum of the three integers along any one of the lines. Since p,q,r,t,u,w,x,y,zp, q, r, t, u, w, x, y, z are 0 through 8 in some order, then p+q+r+t+u+w+x+y+z=0+1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8=36p+q+r+t+u+w+x+y+z=0+1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8=36. From the desired property, we want S=p+q+r=r+t+u=u+w+x=x+y+zS=p+q+r=r+t+u=u+w+x=x+y+z. Therefore, (p+q+r)+(r+t+u)+(u+w+x)+(x+y+z)=4S(p+q+r)+(r+t+u)+(u+w+x)+(x+y+z)=4S. From this, (p+q+r+t+u+w+x+y+z)+r+u+x=4S(p+q+r+t+u+w+x+y+z)+r+u+x=4S or r+u+x=4S36=4(S9)r+u+x=4S-36=4(S-9). We note that the right side is an integer that is divisible by 4. Also, we want SS to be as small as possible so we want the sum r+u+xr+u+x to be as small as possible. Since r+u+xr+u+x is a positive integer that is divisible by 4, then the smallest that it can be is r+u+x=4r+u+x=4. If r+u+x=4r+u+x=4, then r,ur, u and xx must be 0,1 and 3 in some order since each of r,ur, u and xx is a different integer between 0 and 8. In this case, 4=4S364=4S-36 and so S=10S=10. Since S=10S=10, then we cannot have rr and uu or uu and xx equal to 0 and 1 in some order, or else the third number in the line would have to be 9, which is not possible. This tells us that uu must be 3, and rr and xx are 0 and 1 in some order. Therefore, the value of uu in the original configuration is 3+2012=20153+2012=2015.

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Source: Omni-MATH, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.