Suppose that a matrix of nonnegative entries, P=x11x21x31x12x22x32x13x23x33x14x24x34x15x25x35x16x26x36x17x27x37x18x28x38x19x29x39 has the following properties: (1) Numbers in a row are different from each other; (2) The sum of the numbers in a column from the first six columns is 1; (3) x17=x28=x39=0; (4) x27,x37,x18,x38,x19,x29>1. Assume that matrix S is constituted by the first three columns of P, i.e. S=x11x21x31x12x22x32x13x23x33 has the following property: (O) For any column [x1kx2kx3k] (k=1,2,...,9) in P, there exists i∈{1,2,3} such that xik≤ui=min{xi1,xi2,xi3}.①
Solution
Proof of (i). Assume that it is not true. There is a column in S which contains no ui. We may say that ui=xi2, i=1,2,3. By property (1), we have ui<xi2, i=1,2,3. On the other hand, let k=2 in (i). Then by property (O), there exists i0∈{1,2,3} such that xi02≤ui. The contradiction means the assumption is not valid. This completes the proof of (i).
Proof of (ii). By the drawer principle, we know that at least two of the three numbers min{x11,x12},min{x21,x22},min{x31,x32} are in the same column. We may say that min{x21,x22}=x22,min{x31,x32}=x32. By (i), we know that the first column of S contains a ui, and it must be u1=x11; the second column also contains a ui, assuming that it is u2=x22, and then it must be u3=x33. Define M={1,2,…,9} and I={k∈M∣xik>min{xi1,xi2},i=1,3}. Obviously, I={k∈M∣x1k>x11,x3k>x32}, and 1,2,3∈/I. Since x18,x38>1≥x11,x32, we have 8∈I. Therefore, I=∅. Consequently, ∃k∗∈I such that x2k∗=max{x2k∣k∈I}. Of course, k∗=1,2,3.
We now prove that S′=x11x21x31x12x22x32x1k∗x2k∗x3k∗ has property (O). By the definition of I, we know that x1k∗>x11=u1,x3k∗>x32≥u3. Let k∗=k in (i), and we get x2k∗≤u2 according to property (O) of S. Then define u1′=u1,u2′=min{x21,x22,x2k∗}=x2k∗,u3′=u3. We claim that, for any k∈M, there exists i∈{1,2,3} such that ui′≥xik. Otherwise, we would have xik>min{xi1,xi2}, i=1,3 and x2k>x2k∗, contradicting the definition of k∗. Therefore, S′ has property (O).
Secondly, we prove the uniqueness of S′. Assume that ∃k0∈M such that S^=x11x21x31x12x22x32x1k0x2k0x3k0 also has property (O). Without loss of generality, we assume that uix32<x31.=min{xi1,xi2,xi3}=xii,i=1,2,3,(2) Since x32<x31, x22<x21, and by (1), we have u^1=min{x11,x12,x1k0}=x11. By (2) again, we have either (a) u^3=min{x31,x32,x3k0}=x3k0 or (b) u^2=min{x21,x22,x2k0}=x2k0. If (a) is true, we will have u^1=x11,u^2=x22,u^3=x3k0.(3) For 3∈M, since both S^ and S have property (O), we will get x33≤u^3=x3k0,x3k0≤u3=x33. By property (1) of P, we have 3=k0. Therefore, S^=S. If (b) is true, we will have u^1=x11,u^2=x2k0,u^3=x32.(4) Since S^ has property (O), we know that, for k∗∈M, there exists i∈{1,2,3} such that u^i≥xik. As k∗∈I, and by (2), (4), it must be x2k≤u^2=x2k. On the other hand, S also has property (O). Then, in a similar way, we get x2k≤u2′=x2k. Therefore, k∗=k. This completes the proof.
Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track
puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.
Source: MathNet,
licensed CC-BY-4.0.
Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.