Problem

Source: (2021 -) 2022 Dürer Math Competition Regional E3 https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c1621671_

Tags: combinatorics



Paraflea makes jumps on the plane, starting from the origin $(0, 0)$. From point $(x, y)$ it may jump to another point of the form $(x + p, y + p^2)$, where $p$ is any positive real number. (The value of $p$ may differ for each jump.) a) Is there any point in quadrant $I$ which cannot be reached by the flea? (Quadrant $I$ contains points $(x, y)$ for which $x$ and $y$ are positive real numbers.) b) What is the minimum number of jumps that the flea must make from the origin so that it gets to the point $(100, 1)$?