Problem

Source: 2024 IRN-SGP-TWN Friendly Math Competition P1

Tags: grid



In a 2025 by 2025 grid, every cell initially contains a `1'. Every minute, we simultaneously replace the number in each cell with the sum of numbers in the cells that share an edge with it. (For example, after the first minute, the number 2 is written in each of the four corner cells.) After 2025 minutes, we colour the board in checkerboard fashion, such that the top left corner is black. Find the difference between the sum of numbers in black cells and the sum of numbers in white cells. Proposed by chorn