Art of Problem Solving
AoPS Online
Math texts, online classes, and more
for students in grades 5-12.
Visit AoPS Online ‚
Books for Grades 5-12 Online Courses
Beast Academy
Engaging math books and online learning
for students ages 6-13.
Visit Beast Academy ‚
Books for Ages 6-13 Beast Academy Online
AoPS Academy
Small live classes for advanced math
and language arts learners in grades 2-12.
Visit AoPS Academy ‚
Find a Physical Campus Visit the Virtual Campus

2023 USAJMO Problems/Problem 3

Revision as of 14:45, 8 May 2023 by Sml1809 (talk | contribs) (→‎Problem)

Problem

Consider an $n$-by-$n$ board of unit squares for some odd positive integer $n$. We say that a collection $C$ of identical dominoes is a maximal grid-aligned configuration on the board if $C$ consists of $(n^2-1)/2$ dominoes where each domino covers exactly two neighboring squares and the dominoes don't overlap: $C$ then covers all but one square on the board. We are allowed to slide (but not rotate) a domino on the board to cover the uncovered square, resulting in a new maximal grid-aligned configuration with another square uncovered. Let $k(C)$ be the number of distinct maximal grid-aligned configurations obtainable from $C$ by repeatedly sliding dominoes. Find the maximum value of $k(C)$ as a function of $n$.

Solution

We claim that the maximum possible value for $k(C)$ when $n=i$ is $i$ more than $k(C)$ when $n=i-1$.

Retrieved from "https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php?title=2023_USAJMO_Problems/Problem_3&oldid=192882"