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Algebra Difficulty 6.3 National Olympiad Prove it Romania

A natural number nn is interesting if it can be written as n=1a+1b+1cn = \lfloor \frac{1}{a} \rfloor + \lfloor \frac{1}{b} \rfloor + \lfloor \frac{1}{c} \rfloor, where a,ba, b and cc are positive real numbers, such that a+b+c=1a + b + c = 1.
Determine all the interesting numbers. ([x][x] denotes the floor of the real number xx.)

Solution

Without loss of generality, we may choose abca \le b \le c.

The positive real numbers a,b,ca, b, c are such that a+b+c=1a + b + c = 1, thus a,b,c(0,1)a, b, c \in (0, 1). From 1a,1b,1c(1,)\frac{1}{a}, \frac{1}{b}, \frac{1}{c} \in (1, \infty) follows that [1a],[1b],[1c]N[\frac{1}{a}], [\frac{1}{b}], [\frac{1}{c}] \in \mathbb{N}^*, therefore n3n \ge 3.

If [1a]2[\frac{1}{a}] \le 2, then a,b,c(13,1)a, b, c \in (\frac{1}{3}, 1) and a+b+c>1a + b + c > 1, false. Therefore [1a]3[\frac{1}{a}] \ge 3, so n5n \ge 5.
If 5 were an interesting number, we would have [1a]=3[\frac{1}{a}] = 3 and [1b]=[1c]=1[\frac{1}{b}] = [\frac{1}{c}] = 1, whence a+b+c>b+c>1a+b+c > b+c > 1, false.
If 6 were an interesting number, we would obtain [1a]=3[\frac{1}{a}] = 3, [1b]=2[\frac{1}{b}] = 2, [1c]=1[\frac{1}{c}] = 1, whence a(14,13]a \in (\frac{1}{4}, \frac{1}{3}], b(13,12]b \in (\frac{1}{3}, \frac{1}{2}] and c(12,1)c \in (\frac{1}{2}, 1), therefore a+b+c>14+13+12=1312a+b+c > \frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{2} = \frac{13}{12}, false.

We prove that all the natural numbers n7n \ge 7 are interesting.

Consider kNk \in \mathbb{N}, k4k \ge 4 and the real numbers a=1k,b=c=k12ka = \frac{1}{k}, b = c = \frac{k-1}{2k}, with a+b+c=1a+b+c=1.
As [1a]=k,[1b]=[1c]=[2+2k1]=2[\frac{1}{a}] = k, [\frac{1}{b}] = [\frac{1}{c}] = [2+\frac{2}{k-1}] = 2, we have [1a]+[1b]+[1c]=k+4[\frac{1}{a}] + [\frac{1}{b}] + [\frac{1}{c}] = k+4. Consequently, all natural numbers n8n \ge 8 are interesting.
Choosing, for instance, a=830,b=c=1130a = \frac{8}{30}, b = c = \frac{11}{30}, we have [1a]+[1b]+[1c]=3+2+2=7[\frac{1}{a}] + [\frac{1}{b}] + [\frac{1}{c}] = 3+2+2=7 and a+b+c=1a+b+c=1, therefore 7 is also an interesting number.

Thus, all natural numbers n7n \ge 7 are interesting.

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