VMO 1967

Draw the graph of the function $y = \frac{| x^3 - x^2 - 2x | }{3} - | x + 1 |$ .

A river flows at speed u. A boat has speed v relative to the water. If its velocity is at an angle α relative the direction of the river, what is its speed relative to the river bank? What α minimises the time taken to cross the river?

i) $ABCD$ is a rhombus. A tangent to the inscribed circle meets $AB, DA, BC, CD$ at $M, N, P, Q$ respectively. Find a relationship between $BM$ and $DN$ . ii) $ABCD$ is a rhombus and $P$ a point inside. The circles through $P$ with centers $A, B, C, D$ meet the four sides $AB, BC, CD, DA$ in eight points. Find a property of the resulting octagon. Use it to construct a regular octagon. iii) Rotate the figure about the line $AC$ to form a solid. State a similar result.