For a positive integer n, denote by cn the number of triples (x,y,z) of integers such that 0≤x≤y≤z≤x+y and x+y+z=n. Prove that, for n≥2, n⋅cn≤9⋅(c0+c1+⋯+cn−2).
Solution
Let Xn:={(x,y,z)∈Z3∣0≤x≤y≤z≤x+y and x+y+z=n}. Then cn=∣Xn∣. Let Yn:={(p,q,r)∈Z3∣0≤p,q,r and 2p+3q+4r=n} and define the maps f:Xn→Yn by f(x,y,z):=(y−x,x+y−z,z−y) and g:Yn→Xn by g(p,q,r):=(q+r,p+q+r,p+q+2r). Then f and g are inverse to each other, and therefore cn=∣Yn∣, i.e. cn is the number of ways in which n can be expressed as a sum of 2, 3 and 4. Thus n⋅cn=(p,q,r)∈Yn∑2p+3q+4r. For m≥0, the number of elements of Yn such that p≥m is cn−2m. So there are exactly cn−2m−cn−2(m+1) elements with p=m. Here we mean ck=0 if k<0. Thus 2 is added ∑m≥1cn−2m times in the sum above. Similarly, we can compute the coefficient of 3 and 4 and hence n⋅cn=k=2∑4m=1∑[n/k]kcn−km=j=2∑n2≤k≤4k∣j∑kcn−j≤9m=0∑n−2cm.
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