MathDB
Lamps on a 2014x2014 board

Source: Dutch IMO TST I Problem 5

July 17, 2014
combinatorics proposedcombinatorics

Problem Statement

On each of the 201422014^2 squares of a 2014×20142014 \times 2014-board a light bulb is put. Light bulbs can be either on or off. In the starting situation a number of the light bulbs is on. A move consists of choosing a row or column in which at least 10071007 light bulbs are on and changing the state of all 20142014 light bulbs in this row or column (from on to off or from off to on). Find the smallest non-negative integer kk such that from each starting situation there is a finite sequence of moves to a situation in which at most kk light bulbs are on.