1999 French Mathematical Olympiad

Problem 1

What is the maximum possible volume of a cylinder inscribed in a cone and having the same axis of symmetry as the cone? What is the maximum possible volume of a ball inscribed in the cone with center on the axis of symmetry of the cone? Compare these three volumes.

Problem 2

Find all natural numbers $n$ such that $$(n+3)^n=\sum_{k=3}^{n+2}k^n.$$

Problem 3

For which acute-angled triangles is the ratio of the smallest side to the inradius the maximum?

Problem 4

On a table are given $1999$ red candies and $6661$ yellow candies. The candies are indistinguishable due to the same packing. A gourmet applies the following procedure as long as it is possible: (i) He picks any of the remaining candies, notes its color, eats it and goes to (ii). (ii) He picks any of the remaining candies, and notes its color: if it is the same as the color of the last eaten candy, eats it and goes to (ii); otherwise returns it upon repacking and goes to (i). Prove that all the candies will be eaten and find the probability that the last eaten candy will be red.

Problem 5

Prove that the points symmetric to the vertices of a triangle with respect to the opposite side are collinear if and only if the distance from the orthocenter to the circumcenter is twice the circumradius.