Find the least possible value for which there exist distinct natural numbers that satisfy the following condition: the product of any numbers from the chosen set is divisible by the product of the rest numbers.
, 2010
Solution
From one hand, cannot be less than (otherwise, the product of the smallest numbers from our set is less than the product of the numbers which are left). We construct an example for that will do.
Let be distinct prime numbers and . Then, the product of numbers equals
where the degree of each prime number , , equals or , which is greater than .
By analogy, the product of the rest numbers can be expressed as , where each degree , , equals or , which is less than .
To finish the proof, note that if , then , therefore, all are distinct.
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