ASU 105 All Soviet Union MO 1968 signs +, or - in a square table
Source:
June 20, 2019
combinatoricssquare table
Problem Statement
a) The fields of the square table are filled with the "+" or "-" signs. You are allowed to change the signs simultaneously in the whole row, column, or diagonal to the opposite sign. That means, for example, that You can change the sign in the corner square, because it makes a diagonal itself. Prove that you will never manage to obtain a table containing pluses only. b) The fields of the square table are filled with the "+" or signs except one non-corner field with "-". You are allowed to change the signs simultaneously in the whole row, column, or diagonal to the opposite sign. That means, for example, that You can change the sign in the corner field, because it makes a diagonal itself. Prove that you will never manage to obtain a table containing pluses only.