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Combinatorics Difficulty 8.5 Shortlist Prove it United States

Prove that there exists a real constant cc such that for any pair (x,y)(x, y) of real numbers, there exist relatively prime integers mm and nn satisfying the relation
(xm)2+(yn)2<clog(x2+y2+2).\sqrt{(x-m)^2 + (y-n)^2} < c \log(x^2 + y^2 + 2).
(This problem was suggested by Daniel Kane.)

Solution

(By Adam Hesterberg). Without loss of generality we may consider points (x,y)(x, y) with x>y>0x > y > 0. For any cc, let d=c2log(x2+y2+2)d = \frac{c}{2} \log(x^2 + y^2 + 2). Choose cc large enough that
c>2log(2)anddmax{92021,21+21log(x)}. c > \frac{\sqrt{2}}{\log(2)} \quad \text{and} \quad d \ge \max\{9 \cdot 20 \cdot 21, 21 + 21 \log(x)\}.
We claim that (x,y)(x, y) lies within distance 2d=clog(x2+y2+2)2d = c \log(x^2+y^2+2) of a lattice point (m,n)(m, n) with relatively prime coordinates.

If y<1y < 1, then (x,y)(x, y) is at distance at most 2<clog(2)<2d\sqrt{2} < c \log(2) < 2d from the point (x,1)(\lfloor x \rfloor, 1), which has relatively prime coordinates. Otherwise, consider the points (a,b)Z2(a, b) \in \mathbb{Z}^2 with xa<x+d\lfloor x \rfloor \le a < \lfloor x + d \rfloor and yb<y+d\lfloor y \rfloor \le b < \lfloor y + d \rfloor, all of which are within distance 2d2d of (x,y)(x, y). The number of such pairs with a common factor of kk is at most (d/k+1)2(d/k + 1)^2, so the number of pairs with a common factor between 2 and dd is at most
k=2d(dk+1)2=d2k=2d1k2+2dk=2d1k+d. \sum_{k=2}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \left( \frac{d}{k} + 1 \right)^2 = d^2 \sum_{k=2}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \frac{1}{k^2} + 2d \sum_{k=2}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \frac{1}{k} + \lfloor d \rfloor.
We have now the estimates
k=2d1k214+k=3d1k(k1)=14+k=3d(1k11k)14+121d34(17) \sum_{k=2}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \frac{1}{k^2} \le \frac{1}{4} + \sum_{k=3}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \frac{1}{k(k-1)} = \frac{1}{4} + \sum_{k=3}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \left( \frac{1}{k-1} - \frac{1}{k} \right) \le \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{2} - \frac{1}{\lfloor d \rfloor} \le \frac{3}{4} \quad (17)
and
k=2d1k4+k=10d1k4+d10.(18) \sum_{k=2}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \frac{1}{k} \le 4 + \sum_{k=10}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \frac{1}{k} \le 4 + \frac{d}{10}. \quad (18)
Applying the estimates (17) and (18), we find that the number of pairs with a common factor between 2 and dd is at most
d2k=2d1k2+2dk=2d1k+d34d2+2d210+8d+d=1920d2+9d2021d2, d^2 \sum_{k=2}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \frac{1}{k^2} + 2d \sum_{k=2}^{\lfloor d \rfloor} \frac{1}{k} + \lfloor d \rfloor \le \frac{3}{4}d^2 + \frac{2d^2}{10} + 8d + d = \frac{19}{20}d^2 + 9d \le \frac{20}{21}d^2,
where the final inequality holds because we chose d92021d \ge 9 \cdot 20 \cdot 21.

Therefore, at least d221\frac{d^2}{21} of the pairs have no common factor between 2 and dd. By the pigeonhole principle there exists aa with xa<x+d\lfloor x \rfloor \le a < \lfloor x + d \rfloor such that at least d21\frac{d}{21} of the lattice points (a,b)(a, b) with yb<y+d\lfloor y \rfloor \le b < \lfloor y + d \rfloor have no common factor at most dd. Hence either some (a,b)(a, b) is the desired point with relatively prime coordinates, or each such bb has a prime factor greater than dd in common with aa. These prime factors must be distinct, since the different values of bb differ by at most dd. Hence aa is divisible by their product, which is at least dd21d^{\frac{d}{21}}. But this shows that
dx>x+d>add21d1+log(x)>dx, dx > x + d > a \ge d^{\frac{d}{21}} \ge d^{1+\log(x)} > dx,
where the first inequality holds because x>y>1x > y > 1, the third because dd was chosen so that d21+21log(x)d \ge 21 + 21 \log(x), and the last because d>ed > e, meaning dlog(x)>elog(x)=ed^{\log(x)} > e^{\log(x)} = e. This is a contradiction. Thus, there must have been some point (a,b)(a, b) with relatively prime coordinates.

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