Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /6 of 27

, 2012

Combinatorics Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Prove it India

Suppose 2n2n real numbers are placed in the cells of a 2×n2 \times n grid such that the sum of the numbers in each of the nn columns is 11. Prove that one can erase one of the two numbers in each column such that the sum of the remaining numbers in each of the rows does not exceed n+14\frac{n+1}{4}.

Solution

Assume that the numbers in the first row are a1a2ana_1 \le a_2 \le \dots \le a_n in some order. The numbers in the second row are bj=1ajb_j = 1 - a_j, 1jn1 \le j \le n. Hence b1b2bnb_1 \ge b_2 \ge \dots \ge b_n.

If a1+a2++ann+14a_1 + a_2 + \dots + a_n \le \frac{n+1}{4}, we are done (we can erase all the numbers in the second row).

Let kk be the least positive integer such that a1+a2++ak>n+14a_1 + a_2 + \dots + a_k > \frac{n+1}{4}. Then
a1+a2++ak1n+14. a_1 + a_2 + \dots + a_{k-1} \le \frac{n+1}{4}.
We show that
bk+bk+1++bnn+14. b_k + b_{k+1} + \dots + b_n \le \frac{n+1}{4}.
Observe
aka1+a2++akk>n+14k. a_k \ge \frac{a_1 + a_2 + \dots + a_k}{k} > \frac{n+1}{4k}.
Hence
bk+bk+1++bn(n+1k)bk=(n+1k)(1ak)<(n+1k)(1n+14k)=54(n+1)((n+1)2+4k24k)(AM-GM)54(n+1)2(n+1)(2k)4k=n+14. b_k + b_{k+1} + \dots + b_n \le (n+1-k)b_k = (n+1-k)(1-a_k) \\ < (n+1-k) \left(1 - \frac{n+1}{4k}\right) = \frac{5}{4}(n+1) - \left(\frac{(n+1)^2 + 4k^2}{4k}\right) \\ \le (\text{AM-GM}) \frac{5}{4}(n+1) - \frac{2(n+1)(2k)}{4k} = \frac{n+1}{4}.

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