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Algebra Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it China

It is given that real numbers x1,x2,,xnx_1, x_2, \dots, x_n (n>2n > 2) satisfy i=1nxi>1\left|\sum_{i=1}^n x_i\right| > 1, xi1|x_i| \le 1 (i=1,2,,ni=1, 2, \dots, n). Prove that there exists a positive integer kk such that i=1kxii=k+1nxi1\left|\sum_{i=1}^k x_i - \sum_{i=k+1}^n x_i\right| \le 1. (posed by Leng Gangsong)

Solution

Proof Set g(0)=i=1nxig(0) = -\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i, g(k)=i=1kxii=k+1nxig(k) = \sum_{i=1}^{k} x_i - \sum_{i=k+1}^{n} x_i (1kn11 \le k \le n-1), g(n)=i=1nxig(n) = \sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i.
Then
g(1)g(0)=2x12,|g(1) - g(0)| = 2|x_1| \le 2,
g(k+1)g(k)=2xk+12,k=1,2,,n2,|g(k+1) - g(k)| = 2|x_{k+1}| \le 2, \quad k = 1, 2, \dots, n-2,
g(n)g(n1)=2xn2.|g(n) - g(n-1)| = 2|x_n| \le 2.
So for each 0kn10 \le k \le n-1,
g(k+1)g(k)2.1 |g(k+1) - g(k)| \le 2. \qquad \textcircled{1}
If the conclusion is not true, by the condition for each kk, 0kn0 \le k \le n, we have
g(k)>1.2 |g(k)| > 1. \qquad \textcircled{2}
If there is an ii, 0in10 \le i \le n-1, such that g(i)g(i+1)<0g(i)g(i+1) < 0, we may assume that g(i)>0g(i) > 0 and g(i+1)<0g(i+1) < 0. By ②, g(i)>1g(i) > 1 and g(i+1)<1g(i+1) < -1. Thus g(i+1)g(i)>2|g(i+1) - g(i)| > 2. This contradicts ①. Thus g(0)g(0), g(1)g(1), ..., g(n)g(n) have the same sign. But g(0)+g(n)=0g(0) + g(n) = 0. The contradiction implies that the conclusion is true.

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