IOQM · Mathematics · Combinatorics

Pigeonhole Principle

Simple and generalized pigeonhole and classical olympiad applications.

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About this topic in IOQM

  • Previous papers: 10 official question papers from HBCSE-TIFR (Mathematical Olympiad Cell) — 2025, 2024, 2022-23, 2021-22 and 1 earlier year.
  • Practice: 2 answer-checked practice questions on Pigeonhole Principle for IOQM — practise them.

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  • Q1 · Pigeonhole Principle · MEDIUM

    Among any n integers chosen from the set {1, 2, 3, ..., 20}, at least two must have a difference that is a multiple of 6. Find the smallest such n.

  • Q2 · Pigeonhole Principle · HARD

    From the set {1, 2, 3, ..., 20}, what is the minimum number of integers that must be chosen to guarantee that at least two chosen integers differ by exactly 5?

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