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Iranian Mathematical Olympiad

Algebra Difficulty 6.0 National Olympiad Prove it Iran

For every positive integer k>1k > 1 prove that there exists a real number xx such that for every positive integer n<1398n < 1398:
{xn}<{xn−1}  ⟺  k∣n. \{x^n\} < \{x^{n-1}\} \iff k \mid n.

Solution

Take a sufficiently large mm (m>23000m > 2^{3000}) and put x=m+1k−1x = m + \frac{1}{k-1}. Note that
{(m+1k−1)n}=∑ki>n(ni)mn−im(k−1)i \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^n \right\} = \sum_{k_i > n} \binom{n}{i} \frac{m^{n-i}}{m^{(k-1)i}}
Because
∑ki>n(ni)mn−im(k−1)i<1m∑i=0n(ni)<2n+1m<1, \sum_{k_i > n} \binom{n}{i} \frac{m^{n-i}}{m^{(k-1)i}} < \frac{1}{m} \sum_{i=0}^{n} \binom{n}{i} < \frac{2^{n+1}}{m} < 1,
and the remaining terms of (m+1k−1)n\left(m + \frac{1}{k-1}\right)^n are all integers. Now if n=kt+rn = kt + r such that k−1≥r≥0k-1 \ge r \ge 0, we have two cases:

Case 1 r≠0r \ne 0.
{(m+1k−1)n}=∑ki>n(ni)1mki−n>i=t+11mk−r,{(m+1k−1)n−1}=∑ki>n−1i≥t+1(n−1i)1mki−n+1<2n×nmk−r+1,1mk−r>2n×nmk−r+1  ⟹  {(m+1k−1)n}>{(m+1k−1)n−1}. \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^n \right\} = \sum_{k_i > n} \binom{n}{i} \frac{1}{m^{k_i-n}} \stackrel{i=t+1}{>} \frac{1}{m^{k-r}}, \\ \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^{n-1} \right\} = \sum_{\substack{k_i > n-1 \\ i \ge t+1}} \binom{n-1}{i} \frac{1}{m^{k_i-n+1}} < 2^n \times \frac{n}{m^{k-r+1}}, \\ \frac{1}{m^{k-r}} > 2^n \times \frac{n}{m^{k-r+1}} \implies \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^n \right\} > \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^{n-1} \right\}.

Case 2 r=0r = 0.
{(m+1k−1)n}=∑ki>ni≥t+1(ni)1mki−n<2n×nmk,{(m+1k−1)n−1}=∑ki>n−1i≥t(n−1i)1mki−n+1≥1m,1m>k≥22n×nmk  ⟹  {(m+1k−1)n−1}>{(m+1k−1)n}. \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^n \right\} = \sum_{\substack{k_i > n \\ i \ge t+1}} \binom{n}{i} \frac{1}{m^{k_i-n}} < 2^n \times \frac{n}{m^k}, \\ \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^{n-1} \right\} = \sum_{\substack{k_i > n-1 \\ i \ge t}} \binom{n-1}{i} \frac{1}{m^{k_i-n+1}} \ge \frac{1}{m}, \\ \frac{1}{m} \stackrel{k \ge 2}{>} 2^n \times \frac{n}{m^k} \implies \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^{n-1} \right\} > \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^n \right\}.
Therefore,
{(m+1k−1)n−1}>{(m+1k−1)n}  ⟺  k∣n,{xn−1}>{xn}  ⟺  k∣n. \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^{n-1} \right\} > \left\{ \left( m + \frac{1}{k-1} \right)^n \right\} \iff k \mid n, \\ \{x^{n-1}\} > \{x^n\} \iff k \mid n.

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