Enumerate the numbers in increasing order: a1<a2<⋯<an.
Suppose, for contradiction, that all the partial quotients qi,j (for ai>aj) are distinct.
Consider the sequence of ratios:
an−1an⋅an−2an−1⋯a1a2=a1an.
Each ai can be written as ai=qiai−1+ri, where 0≤ri<ai−1 and qi is the partial quotient of ai by ai−1.
Therefore,
ai−1ai=qi+ai−1ri<qi+1.
So,
a1an<(qn+1)(qn−1+1)⋯(q2+1).
But since all qi are distinct and positive, and an<(n−1)!, the product (qn+1)(qn−1+1)⋯(q2+1) must be less than (n−1)! for n>3.
However, if all the partial quotients are distinct and positive, their product would be at least (n−1)!, which is impossible since an<(n−1)!.
Therefore, the notebook must contain two equal numbers.