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Combinatorics Difficulty 7.1 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it China

Suppose that a matrix of nonnegative entries,
P=[x11x12x13x14x15x16x17x18x19x21x22x23x24x25x26x27x28x29x31x32x33x34x35x36x37x38x39] P = \begin{bmatrix} x_{11} & x_{12} & x_{13} & x_{14} & x_{15} & x_{16} & x_{17} & x_{18} & x_{19} \\ x_{21} & x_{22} & x_{23} & x_{24} & x_{25} & x_{26} & x_{27} & x_{28} & x_{29} \\ x_{31} & x_{32} & x_{33} & x_{34} & x_{35} & x_{36} & x_{37} & x_{38} & x_{39} \end{bmatrix}
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 11;
(3) x17=x28=x39=0x_{17} = x_{28} = x_{39} = 0;
(4) x27,x37,x18,x38,x19,x29>1x_{27}, x_{37}, x_{18}, x_{38}, x_{19}, x_{29} > 1.
Assume that matrix SS is constituted by the first three columns of PP, i.e.
S=[x11x12x13x21x22x23x31x32x33] S = \begin{bmatrix} x_{11} & x_{12} & x_{13} \\ x_{21} & x_{22} & x_{23} \\ x_{31} & x_{32} & x_{33} \end{bmatrix}
has the following property:
(O) For any column [x1k x2k x3k][x_{1k} \ x_{2k} \ x_{3k}] (k=1,2,...,9k = 1, 2, ..., 9) in PP, there exists i{1,2,3}i \in \{1, 2, 3\} such that
xikui=min{xi1,xi2,xi3}. x_{ik} \le u_i = \min\{x_{i1}, x_{i2}, x_{i3}\}. \quad ①

Solution

Proof of (i). Assume that it is not true. There is a column in SS which contains no uiu_i. We may say that uixi2u_i \neq x_{i2}, i=1,2,3i = 1, 2, 3. By property (1), we have ui<xi2u_i < x_{i2}, i=1,2,3i = 1, 2, 3. On the other hand, let k=2k = 2 in (i). Then by property (O), there exists i0{1,2,3}i_0 \in \{1, 2, 3\} such that xi02uix_{i_0 2} \le u_i. 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} \min\{x_{11}, x_{12}\}, \min\{x_{21}, x_{22}\}, \min\{x_{31}, x_{32}\}
are in the same column. We may say that
min{x21,x22}=x22,min{x31,x32}=x32. \min\{x_{21}, x_{22}\} = x_{22}, \min\{x_{31}, x_{32}\} = x_{32}.
By (i), we know that the first column of SS contains a uiu_i, and it must be u1=x11u_1 = x_{11}; the second column also contains a uiu_i, assuming that it is u2=x22u_2 = x_{22}, and then it must be u3=x33u_3 = x_{33}.
Define M={1,2,,9}M = \{1, 2, \dots, 9\} and
I={kMxik>min{xi1,xi2},i=1,3}. I = \{k \in M \mid x_{ik} > \min\{x_{i1}, x_{i2}\}, i = 1, 3\}.
Obviously, I={kMx1k>x11,x3k>x32}I = \{k \in M \mid x_{1k} > x_{11}, x_{3k} > x_{32}\}, and 1,2,3I1, 2, 3 \notin I. Since x18,x38>1x11,x32x_{18}, x_{38} > 1 \ge x_{11}, x_{32}, we have 8I8 \in I. Therefore, II \ne \emptyset. Consequently, kI\exists k^* \in I such that x2k=max{x2kkI}x_{2k^*} = \max\{x_{2k} \mid k \in I\}. Of course, k1,2,3k^* \ne 1, 2, 3.

We now prove that
S=[x11x12x1kx21x22x2kx31x32x3k] S' = \begin{bmatrix} x_{11} & x_{12} & x_{1k^*} \\ x_{21} & x_{22} & x_{2k^*} \\ x_{31} & x_{32} & x_{3k^*} \end{bmatrix}
has property (O).
By the definition of II, we know that
x1k>x11=u1,x3k>x32u3. x_{1k^*} > x_{11} = u_1, x_{3k^*} > x_{32} \ge u_3.
Let k=kk^* = k in (i)(i), and we get x2ku2x_{2k^*} \le u_2 according to property (O) of SS. Then define
u1=u1,u2=min{x21,x22,x2k}=x2k,u3=u3. u'_1 = u_1, u'_2 = \min\{x_{21}, x_{22}, x_{2k^*}\} = x_{2k^*}, u'_3 = u_3.
We claim that, for any kMk \in M, there exists i{1,2,3}i \in \{1, 2, 3\} such that uixiku'_i \ge x_{ik}. Otherwise, we would have xik>min{xi1,xi2}x_{ik} > \min\{x_{i1}, x_{i2}\}, i=1,3i = 1, 3 and x2k>x2kx_{2k} > x_{2k^*}, contradicting the definition of kk^*.
Therefore, SS' has property (O).

Secondly, we prove the uniqueness of SS'. Assume that k0M\exists k_0 \in M such that
S^=[x11x12x1k0x21x22x2k0x31x32x3k0] \hat{S} = \begin{bmatrix} x_{11} & x_{12} & x_{1k_0} \\ x_{21} & x_{22} & x_{2k_0} \\ x_{31} & x_{32} & x_{3k_0} \end{bmatrix}
also has property (O). Without loss of generality, we assume that
ui=min{xi1,xi2,xi3}=xii,i=1,2,3,(2)x32<x31. \begin{aligned} u_i &= \min\{x_{i1}, x_{i2}, x_{i3}\} = x_{ii}, \quad i = 1, 2, 3, && (2) \\ x_{32} < x_{31}. \end{aligned}
Since x32<x31x_{32} < x_{31}, x22<x21x_{22} < x_{21}, and by (1), we have
u^1=min{x11,x12,x1k0}=x11. \hat{u}_1 = \min\{x_{11}, x_{12}, x_{1k_0}\} = x_{11}.
By (2) again, we have either
(a) u^3=min{x31,x32,x3k0}=x3k0\hat{u}_3 = \min\{x_{31}, x_{32}, x_{3k_0}\} = x_{3k_0} or
(b) u^2=min{x21,x22,x2k0}=x2k0\hat{u}_2 = \min\{x_{21}, x_{22}, x_{2k_0}\} = x_{2k_0}.
If (a) is true, we will have
u^1=x11,u^2=x22,u^3=x3k0.(3) \hat{u}_1 = x_{11}, \hat{u}_2 = x_{22}, \hat{u}_3 = x_{3k_0}. \quad (3)
For 3M3 \in M, since both S^\hat{S} and SS have property (O), we will get
x33u^3=x3k0,x3k0u3=x33. x_{33} \le \hat{u}_3 = x_{3k_0}, \quad x_{3k_0} \le u_3 = x_{33}.
By property (1) of PP, we have 3=k03 = k_0. Therefore, S^=S\hat{S} = S.
If (b) is true, we will have
u^1=x11,u^2=x2k0,u^3=x32.(4) \hat{u}_1 = x_{11}, \hat{u}_2 = x_{2k_0}, \hat{u}_3 = x_{32}. \quad (4)
Since S^\hat{S} has property (O), we know that, for kMk^* \in M, there exists i{1,2,3}i \in \{1, 2, 3\} such that u^ixik\hat{u}_i \ge x_{ik}. As kIk^* \in I, and by (2), (4), it must be x2ku^2=x2kx_{2k} \le \hat{u}_2 = x_{2k}.
On the other hand, SS also has property (O). Then, in a similar way, we get x2ku2=x2kx_{2k} \le u'_2 = x_{2k}.
Therefore, k=kk^* = k. This completes the proof.

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