Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /6 of 10

Combinatorics Difficulty 8.9 Shortlist Prove it United States

Find all infinite sequences a1,a2,a_1, a_2, \dots of positive integers satisfying the following properties:

a. a1<a2<a3<a_1 < a_2 < a_3 < \dots,

b. there are no positive integers i,j,ki, j, k, not necessarily distinct, such that ai+aj=aka_i + a_j = a_k,

c. there are infinitely many positive integers kk such that ak=2k1a_k = 2k - 1.

Solution

The only solution is to have ak=2k1a_k = 2k - 1 for all kk, giving the sequence 1,3,5,1, 3, 5, \dots.

Let a1=ma_1 = m. First, we show that for any such sequence, we must have ak+mak2ma_{k+m} - a_k \ge 2m for all positive integers kk. Suppose for some kk that this was not the case. Then ak,ak+1,,ak+ma_k, a_{k+1}, \dots, a_{k+m} are m+1m+1 terms of the sequence that are all in the set S={ak,ak+1,,ak+2m1}S = \{a_k, a_k+1, \dots, a_k+2m-1\}. Partition SS into mm two-element sets of the form {b,b+m}\{b, b+m\}. By the pigeonhole principle, one of the mm two-element sets is such that both of its elements are terms of the sequence, so that ai1+m=ai2a_{i_1} + m = a_{i_2} for some ki1,i2k+mk \le i_1, i_2 \le k+m. But we have a1=ma_1 = m, so this contradicts (b). Thus we have established ak+mak2ma_{k+m} - a_k \ge 2m for all kk.

Now suppose we have mm consecutive terms of the sequence aj,aj+1,,aj+m1a_j, a_{j+1}, \dots, a_{j+m-1} such that for all kk between jj and j+m1j+m-1 inclusive, ak>2k1a_k > 2k-1. By (c), there must exist some index ii greater than jj satisfying ai=2i1a_i = 2i-1. Write ij=mq+ri-j = mq+r for q0q \ge 0 and 0r<m0 \le r < m using the division algorithm. Then ai2m+aim2qm+aiqm=2qm+aj+ra_i \ge 2m + a_{i-m} \ge \dots \ge 2qm + a_{i-qm} = 2qm + a_{j+r}. By assumption aj+r>2(j+r)1a_{j+r} > 2(j+r)-1, so ai>2qm+2(j+r)1=2i1a_i > 2qm + 2(j+r) - 1 = 2i-1, a contradiction. Therefore, for any block of mm consecutive terms of the sequence, one of them satisfies ak2k1a_k \le 2k-1.

Because of (a), we have akm+(k1)a_k \ge m + (k-1). Consider a1,a2,,ama_1, a_2, \dots, a_m. The previous inequality implies that for all i<mi < m we have ai>2i1a_i > 2i-1, and am2m1a_m \ge 2m-1. By the previous paragraph one of these terms must satisfy ai2i1a_i \le 2i-1. Therefore we must have am=2m1a_m = 2m-1 and by (a) ai=m+i1a_i = m+i-1 for all 1im1 \le i \le m.

Likewise, for am+1,am+2,,a2ma_{m+1}, a_{m+2}, \dots, a_{2m}, we have am+i2m+ai>2(m+i)1a_{m+i} \ge 2m + a_i > 2(m+i) - 1 for all i<mi < m and a2m4m1a_{2m} \ge 4m-1, so since one of these mm terms must satisfy ai2i1a_i \le 2i-1 we must have a2m=4m1a_{2m} = 4m-1 and then by (a) am+i=3m+i1a_{m+i} = 3m + i - 1 for all 1im1 \le i \le m.

Now suppose m>1m > 1. Observe that am+am=4m2=a2m1a_m + a_m = 4m - 2 = a_{2m-1}, contradicting (b). Therefore m=a1=1m = a_1 = 1. Furthermore, we know from the second paragraph that every term of the sequence satisfies ak2k1a_k \le 2k-1. At the same time, the first paragraph says ak+1ak2a_{k+1} - a_k \ge 2, or ak2k2+a1=2k1a_k \ge 2k - 2 + a_1 = 2k-1. Therefore ak=2k1a_k = 2k-1 for every kk.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.