Maths Olympiad Prep

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Combinatorics Difficulty 5.9 AIME, harder Prove it United States

Problem:

The sets AA and BB form a partition of positive integers if AB=A \cap B = \emptyset and AB=NA \cup B = \mathbb{N}. The set SS is called prohibited for the partition, if k+lsk + l \neq s for any k,lA,sSk, l \in A, s \in S and any k,lB,sSk, l \in B, s \in S.

a) Define Fibonacci numbers fif_{i} by letting f1=1f_{1} = 1, f2=2f_{2} = 2 and fi+1=fi+fi1f_{i+1} = f_{i} + f_{i-1}, so that f3=3f_{3} = 3, f4=5f_{4} = 5 etc. How many partitions for which the set FF of all Fibonacci numbers is prohibited are there? (We count A,BA, B and B,AB, A as the same partition.)

b) How many partitions for which the set PP of all powers of 22 is prohibited are there? What if we require in addition that PAP \subseteq A ?

Solution

Solution:

b) We prove the following: Given a partition of the set of all powers of 22 (i.e. two sets QQ and RR such that each 2k2^{k} is in exactly one of Q,RQ, R) there exists a unique partition A,BA, B of positive integers with all powers of 22 prohibited and with QA,RBQ \subseteq A, R \subseteq B. Note that this implies that there are infinitely many partitions of integers with powers of 22 prohibited, and exactly one such partition with PAP \subseteq A.

First we show that the required partition is unique if it exists. Without loss of generality 11 is in AA. Suppose now that we have been able to place all integers up to some kk unambiguously, i.e. for any l<kl < k we know whether ll is in AA or in BB. If kk is a power of 22 we know where to put it. Otherwise let 2i2^{i} be the smallest power of 22 strictly greater than kk. Then d=2ikd = 2^{i} - k is positive and less than kk. Therefore we know to which of two sets (AA or BB) the number dd belongs. Then we have no choice but to place kk in the other set (otherwise kk and dd would be in the same set, and since k+d=2ik + d = 2^{i} this would contradict A,BA, B being acceptable). So there exists no more than one acceptable partition.

We now show that the desired partition exists. Since we have already defined above a recursive construction producing A,BA, B, we just need to check that the resulting partition is in fact acceptable. Suppose not. Then there exist n<mn < m such that n+m=2in + m = 2^{i} for some ii and m,nm, n are in the same set of the partition. Then mm is not a power of 22 (if it were, nn would be greater than mm). Note that n<mn < m implies that 2i2^{i} is the smallest power of 22 strictly greater than mm. Then by construction mm is in the set different from nn. Contradiction. So there is no such pair m,nm, n. The partition constructed above works. This completes the proof.

a) The proof is similar to that of part b. We will call a partition acceptable if FF is prohibited for it. First, we show that there exists no more than one acceptable partition. Since we do not distinguish between A,BA, B we may assume without loss of generality that 11 is in AA. Suppose now that we have been able to place all integers up to some kk unambiguously, i.e. for any l<kl < k we know whether ll is in AA or in BB. Let fif_{i} be the smallest Fibonacci number strictly greater than kk. Then d=fikd = f_{i} - k is positive and less than kk (to see that, note that if fik>kf_{i} - k > k then 2k<fi2k < f_{i}, k<fi/2fi1k < f_{i}/2 \leq f_{i-1}, contradicting the choice of fif_{i}).

Therefore we know to which of two sets (AA or BB) the number dd belongs. Then we have no choice but to place kk in the other set (otherwise kk and dd would be in the same set, and since k+d=fik + d = f_{i} this would contradict A,BA, B being acceptable). So there exists no more than one acceptable partition.

We now show that there actually exists an acceptable partition. Since we have already defined above a recursive construction producing A,BA, B, we just need to check that the resulting partition is in fact acceptable. Suppose not. Then there exist a smallest mm such that n+m=fin + m = f_{i} for some n<mn < m, and m,nm, n are in the same set (by renaming AA and BB if necessary we may assume m,nm, n are in AA), i.e. the first mm for which there is a problem with the above recursive construction. Then if fjf_{j} is as before the smallest Fibonacci number bigger than mm we have fj1m<fjf_{j-1} \leq m < f_{j} which together with n<mn < m gives fj1<m+n<2fj<fj+2f_{j-1} < m + n < 2f_{j} < f_{j+2}. But m+n=fjm + n = f_{j} is excluded by construction (recall that mm is assigned to the set other than that of fjmf_{j} - m). So it must be that m+n=fj+1m + n = f_{j+1}. On the other hand for m^=fjm\hat{m} = f_{j} - m, n^=fjn\hat{n} = f_{j} - n we have:

1. n^>m^>0\hat{n} > \hat{m} > 0 and n^=fjn<m\hat{n} = f_{j} - n < m, so the bigger of n^,m^\hat{n}, \hat{m} is less than the bigger of m,nm, n.
2. m^+n^=fj+fj(m+n)=fj+fjfj+1=fjfj1=fj2\hat{m} + \hat{n} = f_{j} + f_{j} - (m + n) = f_{j} + f_{j} - f_{j+1} = f_{j} - f_{j-1} = f_{j-2}.
3. m^\hat{m} is in BB by construction.
4. n^\hat{n} is in BB, because otherwise n^,n\hat{n}, n will be a pair of elements of AA adding up to a Fibonacci number with the maximal element in the pair less than mm, contradicting our choice of mm.

These observations together mean that n^,m^\hat{n}, \hat{m} is a pair of elements of BB adding up to a Fibonacci number with the maximal element in the pair less than mm, contradicting our choice of mm. This contradiction shows that A,BA, B constructed above is indeed an acceptable partition.

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