OddEvenAnalysis
ArtOfThinking
Basic
Four $x$'s and five $o$'s are written around the circle in an arbitrary order. If two consecutive symbols are the same, then a new $x$ is inserted in between. Otherwise, a new $o$ is inserted. After nine new symbols are inserted, the previous 9 old ones are erased. Is it possible to get nine $o$'s after having repeated this operation for a finite time?