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Number theory Difficulty 6.0 AIME, harder Prove it Iran

We say distinct positive integers a1,a2,,ana_1, a_2, \dots, a_n are harmonic if their sum is equal to the sum of all pairwise gcd's among them. Prove that there are infinitely many integers like nn such that nn harmonic numbers exist.

Solution

Suppose a1=20,a2=21,,an2=2n3,an1=3,an=qa_1 = 2^0, a_2 = 2^1, \dots, a_{n-2} = 2^{n-3}, a_{n-1} = 3, a_n = q. We shall prove there exists infinitely many positive integers nn for which there exists a positive integer qq such that (q,6)=1(q, 6) = 1 and a1,,ana_1, \dots, a_n are harmonic.

1i<jn(ai,aj)=1i<jn2(2i1,2j1)+1in2(2i1,3)+1in2(2i1,q)+(3,q)=1i<jn22i1+n2+n2+(3,q) \begin{align*} \sum_{1 \le i < j \le n} (a_i, a_j) &= \sum_{1 \le i < j \le n-2} (2^{i-1}, 2^{j-1}) + \sum_{1 \le i \le n-2} (2^{i-1}, 3) + \sum_{1 \le i \le n-2} (2^{i-1}, q) + (3, q) \\ &= \sum_{1 \le i < j \le n-2} 2^{i-1} + n - 2 + n - 2 + (3, q) \end{align*}

a1,a2,,ana_1, a_2, \dots, a_n is harmonic if and only if

i=1nai=1i<jn(ai,aj)    2n21+3+q=1in2(n2i)2i1+2n3    q=2in2(n2i)2i1+(n3)+2n32n2+2=2in2(n2i)2i12n2+3n4=0in3(n3i)2i2n2+2n1=A(n) \begin{align*} \sum_{i=1}^{n} a_i &= \sum_{1 \le i < j \le n} (a_i, a_j) \\ \iff 2^{n-2} - 1 + 3 + q &= \sum_{1 \le i \le n-2} (n-2-i)2^{i-1} + 2n-3 \\ \iff q &= \sum_{2 \le i \le n-2} (n-2-i)2^{i-1} + (n-3) + 2n-3 - 2^{n-2} + 2 \\ &= \sum_{2 \le i \le n-2} (n-2-i)2^{i-1} - 2^{n-2} + 3n-4 \\ &= \sum_{0 \le i \le n-3} (n-3-i)2^i - 2^{n-2} + 2n-1 = A(n) \end{align*}

0in3(n3i)2i=0in30j<i2j=0in3(2i1)=2n21(n2)    A(n)=1(n2)+2n1=n    q=n \begin{align*} \sum_{0 \le i \le n-3} (n-3-i)2^i &= \sum_{0 \le i \le n-3} \sum_{0 \le j < i} 2^j \\ &= \sum_{0 \le i \le n-3} (2^i - 1) = 2^{n-2} - 1 - (n-2) \\ \implies A(n) &= -1 - (n-2) + 2n-1 = n \implies q = n \end{align*}

Therefore, for every positive integer nn that (n,6)=1(n, 6) = 1, the sequence a1,,ana_1, \dots, a_n will be harmonic. ■

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