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Combinatorics Difficulty 4.4 AIME Prove it Taiwan

Let n5n \ge 5 be a positive integer coprime to 66. We color each of the nn vertices of a regular nn-gon with one of three colors, such that the number of vertices colored with each color is odd. Prove that we can always find three vertices among these nn vertices, all of different colors, such that the triangle formed by connecting these three points is an isosceles triangle.

Solution

Let aka_k denote the number of isosceles triangles, among all isosceles triangles, whose three vertices include exactly kk colors. Then the problem is equivalent to proving a31a_3 \ge 1.

We use proof by contradiction. Suppose a3=0a_3 = 0. Consider the set
X={(Δ,E):Δ是等腰三角形,E是 Δ的一邊,E的兩端點不同色}. X = \{(\Delta, E) : \Delta \text{是等腰三角形}, E \text{是 } \Delta \text{的一邊}, E \text{的兩端點不同色}\}.

Let us translate that set definition properly:
X={(Δ,E):Δ is an isosceles triangle,E is a side of Δ, the two endpoints of E have different colors}. X = \{(\Delta, E) : \Delta \text{ is an isosceles triangle}, E \text{ is a side of } \Delta, \text{ the two endpoints of } E \text{ have different colors}\}.
Let us count the number of elements in XX in two different ways:

– First, for each triangle:

* A triangle with only one color must have no edges whose endpoints are of different colors.
* A triangle with exactly two colors has exactly 22 edges whose endpoints are of different colors.
* By assumption, there are no triangles with three colors.

Combining the above, X=2a2|X| = 2a_2.

– On the other hand, choose any two vertices A,BA, B; since (n,3)=1(n, 3) = 1, we know that ABAB is a side of exactly 33 isosceles triangles. If we let b,c,db, c, d denote the number of vertices of the three colors respectively, then the number of edges whose two endpoints have different colors is bc+bd+cdbc + bd + cd, so X=3(bc+bd+cd)|X| = 3(bc + bd + cd).

However, by the assumption of the problem, b,c,db, c, d are all odd, so 3(bc+bd+cd)3(bc + bd + cd) is odd, and thus it cannot equal 2a22a_2, a contradiction! Therefore a31a_3 \ge 1.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement translated into English from zh; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.