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Combinatorics Difficulty 7.1 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Ukraine

<table><tr><td>a1a_1</td><td>a2a_2</td><td>a3a_3</td><td>a4a_4</td></tr><tr><td>a5a_5</td><td>a6a_6</td><td>a7a_7</td><td>a8a_8</td></tr><tr><td>a9a_9</td><td>a10a_{10}</td><td>a11a_{11}</td><td>a12a_{12}</td></tr><tr><td>a13a_{13}</td><td>a14a_{14}</td><td>a15a_{15}</td><td>a16a_{16}</td></tr></table>
Fig. 7

A 4×44 \times 4 table has positive integers in its cells so that the sum of any two cells that share a side is a factorial of some positive integer. Show that there are at least 4 equal numbers in this table.
(Arsenii Nikolaiev)

Solution

We will start with the following lemma.

Lemma 1. There exists a diagonal that has two equal numbers for any 2×22 \times 2 square.
Proof. Let XX be the greatest number in 2×22 \times 2 square. Let his neighbors in this 2×22 \times 2 square be AA and BB. Clearly, they are located on a diagonal, so if A=BA = B, the lemma is proven. Suppose A>BA > B. Then A+X=k!>B+X=m!>1A + X = k! > B + X = m! > 1, thus k>mk > m. It is also clear that m>1,k>2m > 1, k > 2. But then
2(B+X)=2m!>2XA+X=k!km!>2m!, 2(B + X) = 2m! > 2X \geq A + X = k! \geq k \cdot m! > 2m!,
that leads to a contradiction. This finishes the proof of Lemma 1.

By contradiction, let the table consist of the numbers a1,a2,...,a16a_1, a_2, ..., a_{16}, that satisfy the conditions (Fig. 7).
Use Lemma 1 for a square with a1,a2,a5,a6a_1, a_2, a_5, a_6. Without loss of generality, let a2=a5a_2 = a_5. Use Lemma 1 for squares with a2,a3,a6,a7a_2, a_3, a_6, a_7 and a5,a6,a9,a10a_5, a_6, a_9, a_{10}.

Case I. a2=a7a_2 = a_7 or a5=a10a_5 = a_{10}. Since these cases are similar, let a2=a5=a10=xa_2 = a_5 = a_{10} = x.

<table><tr><td>a1a_1</td><td>xx</td><td>a3a_3</td><td>a4a_4</td></tr><tr><td>xx</td><td>a6a_6</td><td>a7a_7</td><td>a8a_8</td></tr><tr><td>a9a_9</td><td>xx</td><td>a11a_{11}</td><td>a12a_{12}</td></tr><tr><td>a13a_{13}</td><td>a14a_{14}</td><td>a15a_{15}</td><td>a16a_{16}</td></tr></table>
Fig. 8

From Lemma 1 for the square a9a_9, a10=x,a13,a14a_{10} = x, a_{13}, a_{14}, if a13=xa_{13} = x, then we have four equal numbers that lead to a contradiction. Then a9=a14a_9 = a_{14}. Similarly, from Lemma 1 for a square with a10=x,a11,a14,a15a_{10} = x, a_{11}, a_{14}, a_{15} we have that a9=a14=a11=ya_9 = a_{14} = a_{11} = y

<table><tr><td>a1a_1</td><td>xx</td><td>a3a_3</td><td>a4a_4</td></tr><tr><td>xx</td><td>a6a_6</td><td>a7a_7</td><td>a8a_8</td></tr><tr><td>yy</td><td>xx</td><td>yy</td><td>a12a_{12}</td></tr><tr><td>a13a_{13}</td><td>yy</td><td>a15a_{15}</td><td>a16a_{16}</td></tr></table>
Fig. 9

It suffices to use the Lemma 1 for a square with a6,a7,a10=x,a11=ya_6, a_7, a_{10} = x, a_{11} = y thus, the table has either four numbers xx or four numbers yy. The contradiction completes the proof.

Case II. a3=a6=a9=ta_3 = a_6 = a_9 = t.

<table><tr><td>a1a_1</td><td>a2a_2</td><td>tt</td><td>a4a_4</td></tr><tr><td>a5a_5</td><td>tt</td><td>a7a_7</td><td>a8a_8</td></tr><tr><td>tt</td><td>a10a_{10}</td><td>a11a_{11}</td><td>a12a_{12}</td></tr><tr><td>a13a_{13}</td><td>a14a_{14}</td><td>a15a_{15}</td><td>a16a_{16}</td></tr></table>
Fig. 10

By assumption, there is no other number tt among the rest of the values, so by Lemma 1 the following holds: a4=a7=a10=a13a_4 = a_7 = a_{10} = a_{13}, that leads to a contradiction and completes the proof.

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