IMO 1990 · Problem 5

Given an initial integer \(n_0>1\), two players, \(\mathcal A\) and \(\mathcal B\), choose integers \(n_1,n_2,n_3,\ldots\) alternately according to the following rules:

Knowing \(n_{2k}\), \(\mathcal A\) chooses any integer \(n_{2k+1}\) such that \[ n_{2k}\le n_{2k+1}\le n_{2k}^{2}. \]

Knowing \(n_{2k+1}\), \(\mathcal B\) chooses any integer \(n_{2k+2}\) such that \[ \frac{n_{2k+1}}{n_{2k+2}} \] is a prime raised to a positive integer power.

Player \(\mathcal A\) wins the game by choosing the number 1990; player \(\mathcal B\) wins by choosing the number 1. For which \(n_0\) does:

(a) \(\mathcal A\) have a winning strategy?

(b) \(\mathcal B\) have a winning strategy?

(c) Neither player have a winning strategy?

Official text of the problem. Official problem paper (PDF)

Answer

(a) All integers \(n_0\ge8\).

(b) \(n_0\in\{2,3,4,5\}\).

(c) \(n_0\in\{6,7\}\).

Solution

Write \(n\) for the number before a turn of \(\mathcal A\), and \(m\) for the number she chooses. Thus \(n\le m\le n^2\), and \(\mathcal B\) must replace \(m\) by \(m/p^a\), where \(p\) is prime, \(a\ge1\), and \(p^a\mid m\).

Winning strategy for \(\mathcal A\) when \(8\le n_0\le1990\). Use the following table:

Current \(n\) \(\mathcal A\) chooses All possible replies by \(\mathcal B\)
\(45\le n\le1990\) \(1990\) \(\mathcal A\) wins immediately
\(21\le n\le44\) \(420\) \(60,84,105,140,210\)
\(15\le n\le20\) \(210\) \(30,42,70,105\)
\(11\le n\le14\) \(105\) \(15,21,35\)
\(8\le n\le10\) \(60\) \(12,15,20,30\)

Every choice is legal: it is at least the upper endpoint of its interval and at most the square of the lower endpoint. The reply lists follow directly from the prime factorizations \[ 420=2^2\cdot3\cdot5\cdot7,\qquad 210=2\cdot3\cdot5\cdot7,\qquad 105=3\cdot5\cdot7,\qquad 60=2^2\cdot3\cdot5. \] Every reply in a row belongs to an earlier row. Therefore \(\mathcal A\) reaches the first row and wins after at most five of her turns.

Winning strategy for \(\mathcal A\) when \(n_0>1990\). Whenever \(n>1990\), choose \[ m=60\left\lceil\frac n{60}\right\rceil. \] This is legal because \[ n\le m<n+60<2n\le n^2. \]

Let \(\mathcal B\)'s reply be \(n'=m/p^a\). Since \(60\mid m\):

  • if \(p=2\), then \(15\mid n'\);
  • if \(p=3\), then \(20\mid n'\);
  • if \(p=5\), then \(12\mid n'\);
  • otherwise, \(60\mid n'\).

Consequently, \[ 12\le n'\le\frac m2<n. \] Thus \(\mathcal B\) cannot win, and the current number strictly decreases whenever it exceeds 1990. After finitely many rounds it lies between 12 and 1990, where the table gives \(\mathcal A\) a winning strategy.

Winning strategy for \(\mathcal B\) when \(2\le n_0\le5\). Suppose the current number satisfies \(2\le n\le5\). Then \[ 2\le m\le n^2\le25. \] Since \(2\cdot3\cdot5=30>25\), the number \(m\) has at most two distinct prime divisors.

If \(m\) is a prime power, \(\mathcal B\) chooses 1 and wins. Otherwise write \[ m=p^a q^b \] with distinct primes \(p,q\) and positive integers \(a,b\). Player \(\mathcal B\) divides by the larger of \(p^a,q^b\), leaving \[ n'=\min(p^a,q^b)<\sqrt m\le n. \] The strict inequality holds because powers of distinct primes cannot be equal.

This strategy strictly decreases the positive integer \(n\) after each round until \(\mathcal B\) chooses 1. Throughout, \(\mathcal A\)'s choices are at most 25, so she cannot win first.

Neither player has a winning strategy when \(n_0=6\) or \(7\). We give each player a strategy preventing the other from winning.

Player \(\mathcal A\) can always choose 30. This is legal initially, and \(\mathcal B\)'s only replies are \[ 30/2=15,\qquad30/3=10,\qquad30/5=6. \] For each \(n\in\{6,10,15\}\), the choice 30 is again legal. Repeating it prevents \(\mathcal B\) from ever choosing 1.

Conversely, \(\mathcal B\) can keep the current number at most 7. Indeed, if \(2\le n\le7\), then \(m\le49\). If \(m\) has at most two distinct prime divisors, the preceding strategy either wins immediately or gives \(n'<n\le7\).

The only integers at most 49 having at least three distinct prime divisors are 30 and 42. To see this, the three smallest such divisors must be \(2,3,5\) or \(2,3,7\): every other triple has product at least \[ \min(2\cdot3\cdot11,\;2\cdot5\cdot7,\;3\cdot5\cdot7)=66. \] Moreover, any proper multiple of 30 or 42 exceeds 49. For \(m=30\) or \(42\), player \(\mathcal B\) divides by 5 or 7, respectively, leaving 6.

Hence \(\mathcal B\) can always return a number at most 7, unless he has already won. Player \(\mathcal A\)'s subsequent choices are therefore at most 49, so she can never choose 1990. This proves that neither player can force a win from 6 or 7.

The solution was checked against John Scholes' IMO solution archive (Kalva).