The 2013 numbers 1×21,2×31,3×41,…,2013×20141 are arranged randomly on a circle.
a. Prove that there exist ten consecutive numbers on the circle whose sum is less than 40001.
b. Prove that there exist ten consecutive numbers on the circle whose sum is less than 100001.
Solution
a. Consider 201 disjoint blocks B1,B2,…,B201 consisting each of 10 numbers, consecutive on the circle. By the pigeonhole principle, there exists a block Bk, for some 1≤k≤201, not containing any of the 200 numbers 1×21,2×31,…,200×2011 The sum of the ten consecutive numbers in this block Bk is less than or equal to 201×2021+202×2031+⋯+210×2111=(2011−2021)+(2021−2031)+⋯+(2101−2111)=2011−2111=201×21110<40001
b. Again, consider the 201 disjoint blocks B1,B2,…,B201 like in (a). By the pigeonhole principle, there exists at least 101 blocks Bk1,Bk2,…,Bk201, not containing any of the 100 numbers 1×21,2×31,…,100×1011. The sum of the 1010 numbers in these 101 blocks Bk1,Bk2,…,Bk201 is less than or equal to i=1∑201b∈Bki∑b≤101×1021+102×1031+⋯+210×2111≤(1011−1021)+(1021−1031)+⋯+(2101−2111)<1011 Therefore, there exists at least one block Bki0 among these 101 blocks with the sum of its ten consecutive numbers less than 101×1011<100001.
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