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Number theory Difficulty 6.1 National olympiad Prove it North Macedonia

Let m,nm, n be integers greater than 11, and let a1,a2,,ama_1, a_2, \dots, a_m be positive integers not greater than nmn^m. Prove that there exist positive integers b1,b2,,bmb_1, b_2, \dots, b_m not greater than nn such that
gcd(a1+b1,a2+b2,a3+b3,,am+bm)<n, \text{gcd}(a_1 + b_1, a_2 + b_2, a_3 + b_3, \dots, a_m + b_m) < n,
where gcd(x1,x2,,xm)\text{gcd}(x_1, x_2, \dots, x_m) denotes the greatest common divisor of x1,x2,,xmx_1, x_2, \dots, x_m.

Solutions — 3

Solution 1

Suppose without loss of generality that a1a_1 is the smallest of the aia_i. If a1nm1a_1 \ge n^m - 1, then the problem is simple: either all the aia_i are equal, or a1=nm1a_1 = n^m - 1 and aj=nma_j = n^m for some jj. In the first case we can take (say) b1=1b_1 = 1, b2=2b_2 = 2, and the rest of the bib_i can be arbitrary, and we have
gcd(a1+b1,a2+b2,a3+b3,,am+bm)gcd(a1+b1,a2+b2)=1. \text{gcd}(a_1 + b_1, a_2 + b_2, a_3 + b_3, \dots, a_m + b_m) \le \text{gcd}(a_1 + b_1, a_2 + b_2) = 1.
In the second case, we can take b1=1b_1 = 1, bj=1b_j = 1, and the rest of the bib_i arbitrary, and again
gcd(a1+b1,a2+b2,a3+b3,,am+bm)gcd(a1+b1,aj+bj)=1. \text{gcd}(a_1 + b_1, a_2 + b_2, a_3 + b_3, \dots, a_m + b_m) \le \text{gcd}(a_1 + b_1, a_j + b_j) = 1.
So from now on we can suppose that a1nm2a_1 \le n^m - 2.

Now, let us suppose the desired b1,,bmb_1, \dots, b_m do not exist, and seek a contradiction. Then, for any choice of b1,b2,,bm{1,2,,n}b_1, b_2, \dots, b_m \in \{1, 2, \dots, n\}, we have
gcd(a1+b1,a2+b2,,am+bm)n. \text{gcd}(a_1 + b_1, a_2 + b_2, \dots, a_m + b_m) \geq n.
Also, we have
gcd(a1+b1,a2+b2,,am+bm)a1+b1nm+n2. \text{gcd}(a_1 + b_1, a_2 + b_2, \dots, a_m + b_m) \leq a_1 + b_1 \leq n^m + n - 2.
Thus there are at most nm1n^m - 1 possible values for the greatest common divisor. However, there are nmn^m choices for the mm-tuple (b1,,bm)(b_1, \dots, b_m). Then, by the pigeonhole principle, there are two mm-tuples that yield the same values for the greatest common divisor, say dd. But since dnd \ge n, for each ii there can be at most one choice of bi{1,2,,n}b_i \in \{1, 2, \dots, n\} such that ai+bia_i + b_i is divisible by dd and therefore there can be at most one mm-tuple (b1,,bm)(b_1, \dots, b_m) yielding dd as the greatest common divisor. This is the desired contradiction.

Solution 2

Similarly to Solution 1 suppose that a1nm2a_1 \le n^m - 2. The gcd of a1+1,a2+1,,am+1a_1 + 1, a_2 + 1, \dots, a_m + 1 is coprime with the gcd of a1+1,a2+1,,am+1a_1 + 1, a_2 + 1, \dots, a_m + 1, thus a1+1n2a_1 + 1 \ge n^2. Now change another 1 into 2 and so on. After m1m-1 changes we get a1+1nma_1 + 1 \ge n^m which gives us a contradiction.

Solution 3

We will prove a stronger version of this problem:
For m,n>1m, n > 1, let a1,a2,,ama_1, a_2, \dots, a_m be positive integers with at least one ain2m1a_i \le n^{2^{m-1}}. Then there are integers b1,b2,,bmb_1, b_2, \dots, b_m, each equal to 11 or 22, such that gcd(a1+b1,a2+b2,,am+bm)<n\text{gcd}(a_1 + b_1, a_2 + b_2, \dots, a_m + b_m) < n.

Proof: Suppose otherwise. Then the 2m12^{m-1} integers gcd(a1+b1,a2+b2,,am+bm)\text{gcd}(a_1 + b_1, a_2 + b_2, \dots, a_m + b_m) with b1=1b_1 = 1 and bi=1b_i = 1 or 22 for i>1i > 1 are all pairwise coprime, since for any two of them, there is some i>1i > 1 with ai+1a_i + 1 appearing in one and ai+2a_i + 2 in the other. Since each of these 2m12^{m-1} integers divides a1+1a_1 + 1, and each is n\ge n with at most one equal to nn, it follows that a1+1n(n+1)2m11a_1 + 1 \ge n(n+1)^{2^{m-1}-1} so a1n2m1a_1 \ge n^{2^{m-1}}. The same is true for each aia_i, i=1,2,,ni = 1, 2, \dots, n, a contradiction.

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