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Combinatorics Difficulty 8.2 Shortlist Prove it Bulgaria

Problem:

Is it true that for any permutation a1,a2,,a2002a_{1}, a_{2}, \ldots, a_{2002} of 1,2,,20021,2, \ldots, 2002 there are positive integers mm and nn of the same parity such that 1m<n20021 \leq m<n \leq 2002 and am+an=2am+n2a_{m}+a_{n}=2 a_{\frac{m+n}{2}}?

Solution

Solution:

The answer is no. We shall prove by induction that for any k3k \geq 3 there is a permutation a1,a2,,aka_{1}, a_{2}, \ldots, a_{k} of 1,2,,k1,2, \ldots, k such that
am+an2am+n2 for any 1m<nk of the same parity.  a_{m}+a_{n} \neq 2 a_{\frac{m+n}{2}} \text{ for any } 1 \leq m<n \leq k \text{ of the same parity. }
For k=3k=3 and k=4k=4 take the permutations 1,3,21,3,2 and 1,3,2,41,3,2,4, respectively. Assume that our statement is true for any integer less than kk. Start with the following permutation of 1,2,,k1,2, \ldots, k: the odd numbers are in the first block, the even numbers that are not divisible by 44 are in the second block, etc. For example, if k=12k=12, then we have 1,3,5,7,9,11;2,6,10;4,12;81,3,5,7,9,11 ; 2,6,10 ; 4,12 ; 8.
If ama_{m} and ana_{n} are in different blocks, set am=2sba_{m}=2^{s} b and an=2tca_{n}=2^{t} c, where t>s>0t>s>0 and b,cb, c are odd integers. Then am+an2=2s1(b+2tsc)\frac{a_{m}+a_{n}}{2}=2^{s-1}\left(b+2^{t-s} c\right) is in the block before that of ama_{m}, whence am+n2a_{\frac{m+n}{2}} is in a block between these of ama_{m} and ana_{n}. So (1) holds.
It remains to reorder the integers in any block in such a way that (1) is satisfied for the numbers in this block. Consider the (r+1)(r+1)-th block: 2r,32r,,(2d1)2r2^{r}, 3\cdot2^{r}, \ldots,(2 d-1) 2^{r}, where 2d1k2 d-1 \leq k. By the induction assumption there is a permutation b1,b2,,bdb_{1}, b_{2}, \ldots, b_{d} of 1,2,,d1,2, \ldots, d satisfying (1). Set ci=2bi1c_{i}=2 b_{i}-1 for i=1,2,,di=1,2, \ldots, d and consider the permutation 2rc1,2rc2,,2rc2d12^{r} c_{1}, 2^{r} c_{2}, \ldots, 2^{r} c_{2 d-1}. Then
cm+cn2=bm+bn12bm+n21=cm+n2 \frac{c_{m}+c_{n}}{2}=b_{m}+b_{n}-1 \neq 2 b_{\frac{m+n}{2}}-1=c_{\frac{m+n}{2}}
which completes the proof.

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