IMO Algebra Questions

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M02 Puzz Points: 10

Mars, his wife Venus and grandson Pluto have a combined age of 192. The ages of Mars and Pluto
together total 30 years more than Venus’ age. The ages of Venus and Pluto together total 4 years
more than Mars’s age. Find their three ages.

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M09 Puzz Points: 15

A 𝑠 × 𝑠 square, where s is an odd integer, is divided into unit squares (1 × 1). All the unit squares
along the edges and the two diagonals of the 𝑠 × 𝑠 square are discarded. Find a fully simplified
expression, in terms of s, for the number of unit squares remaining.

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M11 Puzz Points: 18

(a) What is the angle A between the hands of the clock at 2 o’clock?
(b) What is the next time after this that the angle between the hands is equal to A?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M14 Puzz Points: 20

An arithmetic sequence is one in which the difference between successive terms remains constant
(for example, 4, 7, 10, 13, …). Suppose that a right-angled triangle has the property that the lengths
of its sides form an arithmetic sequence. Prove that the sides of the triangle are in the ratio 3:4:5.

www.drfrostmaths.com
Level: Intermediate Ref No: M16 Puzz Points: 20

Solve the simultaneous equations:

𝑥+𝑦 =3
𝑥3 + 𝑦3 = 9

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M23 Puzz Points: 13

Mij the magician has a large bag of red balls and a large bag of green balls. Mij wanders round the
2
audience selecting volunteers, asking each volunteer to remove two balls, one from each bag, until 5
3
of the red balls and of the green balls have been removed. The balls remaining in the bags are then
7
emptied into a bucket. What fraction of all the balls does the bucket contain?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M24 Puzz Points: 13

A mathematician has a full one-litre bottle of concentrated orange squash, a large container and a
tap. He first pours half of the bottle of orange squash into the container. Then he fills the bottle from
the tap, shakes well, and pours half of the resulting mixture into the container. He then repeats this
step over and over again: filling the bottle from the tap each time, shaking the mixture well, and
then pouring half of the contents into the container.

Suppose that on the final occasion he fills the bottle from the tap and empties it completely into the
container. How many times has he filled the bottle from the tap if the final mixture consists of 10%
orange squash concentrate?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M27 Puzz Points: 15

James, Alison and Vivek go into a shop to buy some sweets. James spends £1 on four Fudge Bars, a
Sparkle and a Chomper. Alison spends 70p on three Chompers, two Fudge Bars and a Sparkle. Vivek
spends 50p on two Sparkles and a Fudge Bar.

What is the cost of a Sparkle?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M29 Puzz Points: 18

The Principal of Abertawe Academy plans to employ more teachers. If she employs 10 new teachers,
then the number of pupils per teacher will be reduced by 5. However, if she employs 20 new
teachers, then the number of pupils per teacher will be reduced by 8.

How many pupils are there at Abertawe Academy?

www.drfrostmaths.com
Level: Intermediate Ref No: M32 Puzz Points: 20

Find all integer values that satisfy the following equations:

𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 = 𝑥 − 2𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦
𝑥 2 − 𝑦 2 = 𝑥 + 2𝑥𝑦 − 𝑦

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M38 Puzz Points: 10

Before the last of a series of tests, Sam calculated that a mark of 17 would enable her to average 80
over the series, but that a mark of 92 would raise her average mark over the series to 85.

How many tests were there in the series?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M54 Puzz Points: 23

Find all real values of x and y that satisfy the equations:

𝑥4 − 𝑦4 = 5
𝑥+𝑦 =1

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M57 Puzz Points: 10

At dinner on a camping expedition, each tin of soup was shared between 2 campers, each tin of
meatballs was shared between 3 campers and each tin of chocolate pudding was shared between 4
campers. Each camper had all three courses and all tins were emptied.

The camp leader opened 156 tins in total. How many campers were on the expedition?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M61 Puzz Points: 15

If Julie gave £12 to her brother Garron, then he would have half the amount that she would have. If
instead Garron gave £12 to his sister Julie, then she would have three times the amount that he
would have.

How much money do they each have?

www.drfrostmaths.com
Level: Intermediate Ref No: M83 Puzz Points: 18

Find all solutions to the simultaneous equations:

𝑥 2 − 𝑦 2 = −5
2𝑥 2 + 𝑥𝑦 − 𝑦 2 = 5

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M90 Puzz Points: 10

An aquarium contains 280 tropical fish of various kinds. If 60 more clownfish were added to the
aquarium, the proportion of clownfish would be doubled.

How many clownfish are in the aquarium?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M92 Puzz Points: 10

Two difference rectangles are placed together, edge-to-edge, to form a large rectangle. The length
2
of the perimeter of the large rectangle is 3 of the total perimeter of the original two rectangles.

Prove that the final rectangle is in fact a square.

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M98 Puzz Points: 15

Four positive integers 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, and 𝑑 are such that:

 The sum of 𝑎 and 𝑏 is half the sum of 𝑐 and 𝑑.

What is the smallest possible values of 𝑎 + 𝑏 + 𝑐 + 𝑑?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M100 Puzz Points: 18

Two different cuboids are placed together, face-to-face, to form a large cuboid. The surface area of
3
the large cuboid is 4 of the total surface area of the original two cuboids.

Prove that the lengths of the edges of the large cuboid may be labelled 𝑥, 𝑦 and 𝑧, where

2 1 1
= +
𝑧 𝑥 𝑦

www.drfrostmaths.com
Level: Intermediate Ref No: M101 Puzz Points: 20

Five numbers are arranged in increasing order. As they get larger the difference between adjacent
numbers doubles.

The average of the five numbers is 11 more than the middle number. The sum of the second and
fourth numbers is equal to the largest number.

What is the largest number?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M103 Puzz Points: 20

Solve the simultaneous equations

5𝑥𝑦
=6
𝑥+𝑦

5𝑥𝑧
=3
𝑥+𝑧

3𝑦𝑧
=2
𝑦+𝑧

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M118 Puzz Points: 20

2 1 1
How many different ways are there to express 15 in the form 𝑎 + 𝑏, where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are positive
integers with 𝑎 ≤ 𝑏?

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M120 Puzz Points: 20

Solve the equations:

𝑥 + 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑥 2 = 9
𝑦 + 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 = −3

Level: Intermediate Ref No: M135 Puzz Points: 18

Four friends, Anna, Bob, Claire and Duncan, all have different heights and the sum of their heights if
6m 72cm. Anna is 8cm taller than Claire, and Bob is 4cm shorter than Duncan. The sum of the
heights of the tallest and shortest of the friends is 2cm more than the sum of the heights of the
other two. Find the height of each person.

www.drfrostmaths.com
Level: Intermediate Ref No: M137 Puzz Points: 20

Solve the simultaneous equations:

𝑝 + 𝑝𝑟 + 𝑝𝑟 2 = 28
𝑝2 𝑟 + 𝑝2 𝑟 2 + 𝑝2 𝑟 3 = 224

www.drfrostmaths.com