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Czech and Slovak Mathematical Olympiad

Number theory Difficulty 6.3 National Olympiad Prove it Czech Republic

Let AA, BB be sets of positive integers such that a sum of arbitrary two different numbers from AA is in BB and a ratio of arbitrary two different numbers from BB (greater one to smaller one) is in AA. Find the maximum number of elements in A∪BA \cup B.
(Martin Panák)

Solution

Initially we will prove that the set AA consists of at most two numbers. Suppose that three numbers a<b<ca < b < c belong to the set AA. Then the numbers a+b<a+c<b+ca+b < a+c < b+c are in BB and therefore the number
b+ca+c=1+b−aa+c \frac{b+c}{a+c} = 1 + \frac{b-a}{a+c}
has to be in AA. This is a contradiction because 0<b−a<a+c0 < b-a < a+c and the number is not integer.

If the set BB contains four numbers k<l<m<nk < l < m < n, then the set AA will contain three different numbers n/kn/k, n/ln/l, n/mn/m. So the set BB has at most three elements and A∪BA \cup B has at most five elements.

We achieve the number 55 of elements if A={a,b}A = \{a, b\}, B={k,l,m}B = \{k, l, m\}, where a<ba < b and l/k=m/l=al/k = m/l = a, m/k=bm/k = b. Then b=a2b = a^2 (a≥2a \ge 2) and a+a2a + a^2 is one of the elements of BB; the next two elements are either a2+a3a^2 + a^3 and a3+a4a^3 + a^4 or 1+a1 + a and a2+a3a^2 + a^3. E.g. sets A={2,4}A = \{2, 4\}, B={3,6,12}B = \{3, 6, 12\} have five elements together.

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