Solution:
We show that the volumes can be permuted so that the volumes with odd numbers are in an arbitrary order in the odd-numbered places and the volumes with even numbers are in an arbitrary order in the even-numbered places. The main idea is to construct two combinations of the allowed operations. The first one turns the volumes in a specified interval, starting and ending in an odd-numbered place, in the opposite order while keeping everything outside this interval fixed, or keeps everything fixed in an interval while turning the order of the volumes outside this interval in the opposite direction, when the counting starts below that interval and is continued from the top after reaching the bottom volume. The second combined operation just exchanges two volumes in even-numbered places while keeping everything else fixed.
Let E={1,2,…,2000}. We formulate the operations described in conditions (i) and (ii), depending on an even integer n and odd integer m as functions fn:E→E and gm:E→E, defined by
fn(p)={2000+p−np−n for p≥n, for n<pandgm(p)={m−p+1p for p≤m for m<p
We immediately see that fn and gm map even numbers into even numbers and odd numbers into odd numbers. So the volumes can never be permuted so that an odd-numbered volume would be in an even place or an even-numbered would be in an odd place. The observation f([1,n])=[2000−(n+1),2000] easily leads to fn−1=f2000−n.
Now let n be even and m odd and n+m<2000. Consider the combined mapping fn−1∘gm∘fn. If n<n+p≤n+m, then fn(n+p)=p≤m, gm(p)=m−p+1<2000−n and fn−1(m−p+1)=f2000−n(m−p+1)=2000+m−p+1−2000+n=n+m+1−p. Because fn([n+1,n+m])=[1,m], fn maps numbers p outside the interval [n+1,n+m] into numbers outside the interval [1,m]; gm keeps these numbers fixed and fn−1 returns fn(p) into p. So we have shown that for any interval [s,t]⊂E with s and t odd, there is a function hs,t, combined of functions of the f type and g type such that hs,t reverses the order of numbers in the interval [s,t] and is the identity function outside this interval.
The functions hs,t allow us to order the odd numbers in an arbitrary manner. If p1 ought to be in position 1, then apply (if needed) h1,p1; if the number p2 which ought to be in position 3 now is in position x, the x≥3 and we may apply (if needed) h3,x. Continuing this way, we eventually arrive at the desired order of the odd numbers.
To construct the second one of the desired operations, we have to obtain a counterpart for hs,t for t<s. To this end, consider fn−1∘gm∘fn for m+n>2000. By the definition of fn, fn(n+m−2000)=2000+(n+m−2000)−n=m, and so fn[n+m−2000+1,n]=[m+1,2000]. Consequently, fn−1∘gm∘fn keeps numbers in the interval [n+m−2000+1,n] (with even endpoints) fixed. Since gm turns the order around in [1,m] and fn−1=f2000−n maps [1,m] onto the complement of [n+m−2000+1,n] in such a way that f2000−1(1)=n+1, the order of numbers in the complement is reversed in the desired manner. We have shown that for odd s and t such that t<s there exists a function hs,t, combined of functions of the f type and g type such that hs,t is the identity on the interval [t+1,s−1], but reverses the order of the numbers outside this interval, when counting is started from s and continued through over 2000 and 1 over to t, in other words modulo 2000.
To finish the proof, we show that two numbers in the even positions can be exchanged while everything else is fixed. This clearly allows us to put the even numbers in an arbitrary order without violating the order of the odd numbers. To achieve this, we take two even numbers p and q, p<q, and consider the function ϕp,q=f2000+p−q∘hp+1,p−1∘hq+1,p−1∘hp+1,q−1. The innermost function hp+1,q−1 reverses the order on [p+1,q−1] and fixes everything else, the next function hq+1,p−1 fixes numbers in [p,q], hp+1,p−1 fixes p and reverses the order (mod2000) in E∖{p}, and f2000+p−q(p)=q. The two innermost components of ϕp,q fix q, hp+1,p−1 takes q to a position x q−p steps ahead of p (mod2000) and f2000+p−q=fq−p−1 moves x q−p positions back, i.e. to p. If p+k is between p and q, then the innermost function maps it to q−k, the next one fixes q−k, the third function maps q−k to p−(q−k−p)=2p−q+k (mod2000), and fq−p−1 maps 2p−q+k back to p+k. A similar reasoning shows that ϕp,q also fixes numbers in E∖[p,q].
Since both even and odd numbers have 1000! different permutations, the volumes can be permuted into (1000!)2 different orders by using the given operations repeatedly.