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Combinatorics Difficulty 6.5 National olympiad Prove it Argentina

Prove that every positive integer can be expressed as a sum of powers of 33, 44 and 77 in such a way that the representation does not contain two powers with the same base and the same exponent.
For example, 2=70+702 = 7^0 + 7^0 and 22=32+32+4122 = 3^2 + 3^2 + 4^1 are not valid sums, but 2=30+702 = 3^0 + 7^0 and 22=32+30+41+40+7122 = 3^2 + 3^0 + 4^1 + 4^0 + 7^1 are valid.

Solution

Consider the powers of 33, 44 and 77 in increasing order x1α1x2α2x3α3x_1^{\alpha_1} \le x_2^{\alpha_2} \le x_3^{\alpha_3} \le \dots
We will prove, by induction on nn, that it is possible to represent all the integers from 11 to x1α1+x2α2++xnαnx_1^{\alpha_1} + x_2^{\alpha_2} + \dots + x_n^{\alpha_n} in the desired way using only the powers x1α1,x2α2,,xnαnx_1^{\alpha_1}, x_2^{\alpha_2}, \dots, x_n^{\alpha_n}. It is clear that this is true for n=1,2,3n = 1, 2, 3. Assuming the property holds for n3n \ge 3, we will prove that it is valid for n+1n + 1.
If the powers x1α1,x2α2,,xnαnx_1^{\alpha_1}, x_2^{\alpha_2}, \dots, x_n^{\alpha_n} are {30,31,,3a}{40,41,,4b}{70,71,,7c}\{3^0, 3^1, \dots, 3^a\} \cup \{4^0, 4^1, \dots, 4^b\} \cup \{7^0, 7^1, \dots, 7^c\}, we have that
x1α1+x2α2++xnαn=(30+31++3a)+(40+41++4b)+(70+71++7c)==3a+112+4b+113+7c+116xn+1αn+112+xn+1αn+113+xn+1αn+116=xn+1αn+11. x_1^{\alpha_1} + x_2^{\alpha_2} + \dots + x_n^{\alpha_n} = (3^0 + 3^1 + \dots + 3^a) + (4^0 + 4^1 + \dots + 4^b) + (7^0 + 7^1 + \dots + 7^c) = \\ = \frac{3^{a+1}-1}{2} + \frac{4^{b+1}-1}{3} + \frac{7^{c+1}-1}{6} \le \frac{x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}}-1}{2} + \frac{x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}}-1}{3} + \frac{x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}}-1}{6} = x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}} - 1.
Then, by the induction assumption, all the positive integers smaller than xn+1αn+1x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}} have a representation using only the powers x1α1,x2α2,,xnαnx_1^{\alpha_1}, x_2^{\alpha_2}, \dots, x_n^{\alpha_n}. In addition, an integer mm such that xn+1αn+1mx1α1+x2α2++xnαn+xn+1αn+1x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}} \le m \le x_1^{\alpha_1} + x_2^{\alpha_2} + \dots + x_n^{\alpha_n} + x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}} can be expressed as m=(mxn+1αn+1)+xn+1αn+1m = (m - x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}}) + x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}},

where 0mxn+1αn+1x1α1+x2α2++xnαn0 \le m - x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}} \le x_1^{\alpha_1} + x_2^{\alpha_2} + \dots + x_n^{\alpha_n} has a representation using only x1α1,,xnαnx_1^{\alpha_1}, \dots, x_n^{\alpha_n}. We conclude that all integers from 11 to x1α1++xnαn+xn+1αn+1x_1^{\alpha_1} + \dots + x_n^{\alpha_n} + x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}} have a representation of the desired form using only the powers x1α1,,xnαn,xn+1αn+1x_1^{\alpha_1}, \dots, x_n^{\alpha_n}, x_{n+1}^{\alpha_{n+1}}, which completes the induction.

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