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Combinatorics Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Prove it Romania

Prove that for any real numbers a1,a2,,ana_1, a_2, \dots, a_n, nNn \in \mathbb{N}, there exists a real number xx such that the numbers x+a1,x+a2,,x+anx + a_1, x + a_2, \dots, x + a_n are all irrational.

Solution

Consider y1<y2<<yn<yn+1y_1 < y_2 < \dots < y_n < y_{n+1}, irrational numbers such that yjyiy_j - y_i is irrational for all 1i<jn+11 \le i < j \le n + 1. (One could take, for example,

y<2y<3y<<(n+1)yy < 2y < 3y < \dots < (n+1)y, where yy is irrational.) We plan to prove that one of these irrational numbers can be chosen as xx.

Assume the contrary to be true, i.e. for each yky_k, at least one of the numbers yk+a1,yk+a2,,yk+any_k + a_1, y_k + a_2, \dots, y_k + a_n is rational. But there are n+1n+1 choices for yky_k, and only nn choices for ama_m such that yk+amy_k + a_m is rational. By the Pigeon Principle, it follows that there must be an index mm and two irrational numbers yi,yjy_i, y_j such that am+yia_m + y_i and am+yja_m + y_j are both rational. But this would mean that their difference, yjyiy_j - y_i, is also rational, which contradicts the choice of the numbers yky_k.

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