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Combinatorics Difficulty 6.9 National olympiad Prove it Turkey

Let n2n \ge 2 be an integer and E={1,2,,n}E = \{1, 2, \dots, n\}. If A1,A2,,AkA_1, A_2, \dots, A_k are subsets of EE and exactly one of AiAjA_i \cap A_j, AiAjA'_i \cap A_j, AiAjA_i \cap A'_j and AiAjA'_i \cap A'_j is empty for all 1i<jk1 \le i < j \le k, then determine the maximum possible value of kk.

[For AEA \subset E, AA' denotes the elements of EE which are not included in AA.]

Solution

The answer is 2n32n-3 and an example is {1},{2},,{n},{1,2},{1,2,3},,{1,2,3,,n2}\{1\}, \{2\}, \dots, \{n\}, \{1,2\}, \{1,2,3\}, \dots, \{1,2,3,\dots, n-2\}.

We will prove it by induction on nn. For n=2n=2, it is clear that kk is at most 11. For n=3n=3, it is easy to check that k3k \le 3. Let us assume that the answer is 2n52n-5 for n13n-1 \ge 3. Let M={A1,A2,,Ak}M = \{A_1, A_2, \dots, A_k\} be a maximal collection satisfying the conditions for nn. By the example above, k2n3k \ge 2n-3. Note that neither \emptyset nor EE is in MM. If none of {i}\{i\} and {i}\{i\}' is in MM for some 1in1 \le i \le n, then we could add one of them and enlarge the collection. Clearly both {i}\{i\} and {i}\{i\}' can not be in MM and hence exactly one of {i}\{i\} and {i}\{i\}' belongs to MM for all 1in1 \le i \le n.

Observe that if XMX \in M, then we can replace it by XX'. Therefore we may assume that Ain2|A_i| \le \frac{n}{2} for all 1in1 \le i \le n.

Now let us choose a set AMA \in M such that A2|A| \ge 2 and AB|A| \le |B| for all BMB \in M with B2|B| \ge 2. Since 2n3>n2n-3 > n, there exists at least one such set. Without loss of generality we may assume that 1,2A1, 2 \in A. Then consider any set BB in MM other than {1},{2}\{1\}, \{2\} and AA.

If AB=A \cap B = \emptyset, then 1,2B1, 2 \notin B.

If AB=A \cap B' = \emptyset, then ABA \subset B and hence 1,2B1, 2 \in B.

If AB=A' \cap B = \emptyset, then BAB \subset A and hence B=1|B| = 1 by the choice of AA. Thus, 1,2B1, 2 \notin B.

If AB=A' \cap B' = \emptyset, then AB=EA \cup B = E. But when nn is odd A,Bn12|A|, |B| \le \frac{n-1}{2} and hence ABn1|A \cup B| \le n-1. And when nn is even, the only possible case is A=B=n2|A| = |B| = \frac{n}{2}, but then B=AB = A' and AB=A \cap B = \emptyset.

Therefore we conclude that {1,2}B\{1,2\} \subset B or {1,2}B=\{1,2\} \cap B = \emptyset for all BB in MM other than {1}\{1\} and {2}\{2\}. Hence by removing {1}\{1\} and {2}\{2\} from MM and merging 11 and 22, we obtain a new maximal collection for n1n-1. By the induction hypothesis k22n5k-2 \le 2n-5 and we also know that k2n3k \ge 2n-3. Therefore k=2n3k = 2n-3.

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