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Algebra Difficulty 6.8 National olympiad Prove it Russia

A sequence a1,a2,a_1, a_2, \dots is defined in the following way: a1=1a_1 = 1, a2=143a_2 = 143, and an+1=5a1+a2++anna_{n+1} = 5 \cdot \frac{a_1 + a_2 + \dots + a_n}{n} for n2n \ge 2. Prove that ana_n is an integer for every n1n \ge 1.

Последовательность чисел a1,a2,a_1, a_2, \dots задана условиями a1=1,a2=143a_1 = 1, a_2 = 143 и an+1=5a1+a2++anna_{n+1} = 5 \cdot \frac{a_1 + a_2 + \dots + a_n}{n} при всех n2n \ge 2. Докажите, что все члены последовательности — целые числа.

Solution

Show by induction that an=(n+3)(n+2)(n+1)na_n = (n+3)(n+2)(n+1)n for all n3n \ge 3.

First solution. The number a3=572=360a_3 = 5 \cdot 72 = 360 is an integer. For n4n \ge 4 the following equalities hold:
an=5a1++an1n1andan1=5a1++an2n2, a_n = 5 \cdot \frac{a_1 + \dots + a_{n-1}}{n-1} \quad \text{and} \quad a_{n-1} = 5 \cdot \frac{a_1 + \dots + a_{n-2}}{n-2},
from which it follows that
an=5n1(n25an1+an1)=n+3n1an1. a_n = \frac{5}{n-1} \left( \frac{n-2}{5} a_{n-1} + a_{n-1} \right) = \frac{n+3}{n-1} a_{n-1}.

an=(n+3)(n+2)7(n1)(n2)3a3=(n+3)(n+2)(n+1)n6543360=(n+3)(n+2)(n+1)n a_n = \frac{(n+3)(n+2)\dots\cdot 7}{(n-1)(n-2)\dots\cdot 3} \cdot a_3 = \frac{(n+3)(n+2)(n+1)n}{6 \cdot 5 \cdot 4 \cdot 3} \cdot 360 = (n+3)(n+2)(n+1)n
is an integer, as required.

Second solution. Let Sn=a1+a2++anS_n = a_1 + a_2 + \dots + a_n, then an+1=Sn+1Sna_{n+1} = S_{n+1} - S_n.
To solve the problem, it is enough to show that all numbers SnS_n are integers. From the condition we have S1=1S_1 = 1, S2=144S_2 = 144, and the formula an+1=a1+a2++anna_{n+1} = \frac{a_1 + a_2 + \dots + a_n}{n} takes the form Sn+1Sn=5SnnS_{n+1} - S_n = \frac{5S_n}{n}, whence Sn+1=n+5nSnS_{n+1} = \frac{n+5}{n} S_n. Thus, for n2n \ge 2 we get

Sn+1=(n+5)(n+4)7n(n1)2S2= S_{n+1} = \frac{(n+5)(n+4)\dots\cdot 7}{n(n-1)\dots\cdot 2} S_2 =

=(n+5)(n+4)(n+3)(n+2)(n+1)65432144=(n+5)(n+4)(n+3)(n+2)(n+1)5 = \frac{(n+5)(n+4)(n+3)(n+2)(n+1)}{6 \cdot 5 \cdot 4 \cdot 3 \cdot 2} \cdot 144 = \frac{(n+5)(n+4)(n+3)(n+2)(n+1)}{5}

Since at least one of the numbers n+5,n+4,n+3,n+2,n+1n+5, n+4, n+3, n+2, n+1 is divisible by 55, for n2n \ge 2 the number Sn+1S_{n+1} is an integer.

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