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Combinatorics Difficulty 7.3 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Romania

Let nn be a given positive integer. Say that a set KK of points with integer coordinates in the plane is connected if for every pair of points R,SKR, S \in K, there exist a positive integer \ell and a sequence R=T0,T1,,T=SR = T_0, T_1, \dots, T_\ell = S of points in KK, where each TiT_i is distance 11 away from Ti+1T_{i+1}. For such a set KK, we define the set of vectors
Δ(K)={RSR,SK}. \Delta(K) = \{ \overrightarrow{RS} \mid R, S \in K \}.
What is the maximum value of Δ(K)|\Delta(K)| over all connected sets KK of 2n+12n + 1 points with integer coordinates in the plane?
(Russia) Grigory Chelnokov

Solution

We claim the answer is 2n2+4n+12n^2 + 4n + 1. A model is
K={(0,0)}{(i,0);1in}{(0,i);1in}, K = \{(0,0)\} \cup \{(i,0) ; 1 \le i \le n\} \cup \{(0,i) ; 1 \le i \le n\},
when
W={(a,b);0a,bn}{(a,b);0a,bn}. W = \{(a, -b) ; 0 \le a, b \le n\} \cup \{(-a, b) ; 0 \le a, b \le n\}.
It is left to prove that W2n2+4n+1|W| \le 2n^2 + 4n + 1 for any set KK.
What the statement of the problem describes is a connected graph G=(K,E)G = (K, E) of order 2n+12n + 1, whose vertices are the points in KK, while the edges are the horizontal/vertical segments of length 11 that connect (some of) these points. The key to the proof is to sequence the elements of KK as A0,A1,,A2nA_0, A_1, \dots, A_{2n} such that the graph Gk:=G[A0,A1,,Ak]G_k := G[A_0, A_1, \dots, A_k] is connected for every 1k2n1 \le k \le 2n; this can be done through
LEMMA. The vertices of a finite connected graph GG can always be enumerated, say as a sequence v0,,vG1v_0, \dots, v_{|G|-1}, so that Gk:=G[v0,,vk]G_k := G[v_0, \dots, v_k] is connected for every 1kG11 \le k \le |G|-1.
Proof. Pick any vertex as v0v_0, and assume inductively that v0,,vkv_0, \dots, v_k have been chosen for some 0k<G10 \le k < |G| - 1. Now pick a vertex vGGkv \in G - G_k. As GG is connected, it contains a vv0v - v_0 path PP. Choose as vk+1v_{k+1} the last vertex of PP in GGkG - G_k; then vk+1v_{k+1} has as neighbor in GkG_k the next vertex of PP. The connectedness of every GkG_k follows by induction on kk. \square

Moreover, if we just keep the edges through which Ak+1A_{k+1} has the (selected) neighbor in GkG_k, then GkG_k is a tree, and so G2nG_{2n} is a spanning tree of GG. Call the vertex horizontal (vertical) if the edge that connects him is horizontal (vertical). Denote by hh, respectively vv, the number of horizontal, respectively vertical vertices; since G2nG_{2n} is a tree, it follows h+v=2nh + v = 2n. The point A0A_0 contributes 2n+12n + 1 vectors A0Ai\overrightarrow{A_0A_i}. Now, for 0k2n0 \le k \le 2n, each point Ak+1A_{k+1} contributes at most (2n+1)x(2n+1) - x new vectors, where x=hx = h if the vertex is horizontal, respectively x=vx = v if the vertex is vertical, since those vectors Ak+1Ai\overrightarrow{A_{k+1}A_i}, with ends at the corresponding edges of same direction, will be duplicated by the vectors determined by the opposite parallel sides of the parallelograms created, which have already been accounted for.

Therefore the total number of distinct vectors will be W(2n+1)2h2v2|W| \le (2n+1)^2 - h^2 - v^2. But h2+v212(h+v)2=2n2h^2 + v^2 \ge \frac{1}{2}(h+v)^2 = 2n^2, hence W(2n+1)22n2=2n2+4n+1|W| \le (2n+1)^2 - 2n^2 = 2n^2 + 4n + 1.

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