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Number theory Difficulty 8.1 Shortlist Prove it Baltic Way

Decide, whether there exists a set MM consisting of five integers such that for any integer kk not divisible by 55 there exist a,bMa, b \in M such that ab+ka - b + k is divisible by 2525.

Solution

Answer. There does not exist such a set.

Proof. Assume that M={a,b,c,d,e}M = \{a, b, c, d, e\} were such a set. As there are 2020 differences of distinct members from MM and 2020 residue classes modulo 2525 whose members are not divisible by 55, the two lines
1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,11,12,13,14,16,17,18,19,21,22,23,24 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24
and
ab,ac,ad,ae,ba,bc,bd,be,,ed a-b, a-c, a-d, a-e, b-a, b-c, b-d, b-e, \dots, e-d
contain the same numbers when considered modulo 2525. Taking products, we get
1x,yM,xy(xy)(mod25). -1 \equiv \prod_{x,y \in M, x \neq y} (x-y) \pmod{25}.
Note that this implies that no two members of MM are congruent modulo 55. Setting
Ω(x1,x2,x3,x4,x5)=1i,j5,ij(xixj) \Omega(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4, x_5) = \prod_{1 \le i,j \le 5, i \ne j} (x_i - x_j)
for all integers x1,,x5x_1, \dots, x_5 the above congruence may be rewritten as
Ω(a,b,c,d,e)1(mod25). \Omega(a, b, c, d, e) \equiv -1 \pmod{25}.
Claim. If x1,,x5x_1, \dots, x_5 are integers no two of which are congruent modulo 55, then
Ω(x1+5,x2,x3,x4,x5)Ω(x1,x2,x3,x4,x5) \Omega(x_1 + 5, x_2, x_3, x_4, x_5) - \Omega(x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4, x_5)
is a multiple of 2525.
To see this, we note that this difference is 2i<j5(xixj)\prod_{2 \le i < j \le 5} (x_i - x_j) times
(x1x2+5)2(x1x5+5)2(x1x2)2(x1x5)2. (x_1 - x_2 + 5)^2 \cdots (x_1 - x_5 + 5)^2 - (x_1 - x_2)^2 \cdots (x_1 - x_5)^2.
The second factor is
((x1x2)2+10(x1x2))((x1x2)2+10(x1x2))(x1x2)2(x1x5)2 \equiv ((x_1 - x_2)^2 + 10(x_1 - x_2)) \cdots ((x_1 - x_2)^2 + 10(x_1 - x_2)) - (x_1 - x_2)^2 \cdots (x_1 - x_5)^2
10(x1x2)(x1x5)Ψ(mod25), \equiv 10(x_1 - x_2) \cdots (x_1 - x_5) \cdot \Psi \pmod{25},
where Ψ\Psi denotes the sum of all four product involving three of the numbers x1x2,,x1x4x_1-x_2, \dots, x_1-x_4. So it suffices to show that Ψ\Psi is divisible by 55, and as the four differences x1x2,,x1x4x_1-x_2, \dots, x_1-x_4 coincide modulo 55 with the numbers 1,2,3,41, 2, 3, 4 we do indeed have
Ψ123+124+134+234500(mod5). \Psi \equiv 1 \cdot 2 \cdot 3 + 1 \cdot 2 \cdot 4 + 1 \cdot 3 \cdot 4 + 2 \cdot 3 \cdot 4 \equiv 50 \equiv 0 \pmod{5}.
This concludes the proof of our claim. Note that as the function Ω\Omega is symmetric in its variables, a similar statement holds when 55 is added not to x1x_1 but to any other of these variables. Applying this fact iteratedly and using symmetry again, we get
Ω(a,b,c,d,e)Ω(0,1,2,3,4)8294419(mod25), \Omega(a, b, c, d, e) \equiv \Omega(0, 1, 2, 3, 4) \equiv 82944 \equiv 19 \pmod{25},
whereby we have reached a contradiction. This solves our problem.

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