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Combinatorics Difficulty 7.5 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it China

Let nn be an integer greater than or equal to 33. For a permutation p=(x1,x2,,xn)p = (x_1, x_2, \dots, x_n) of (1,2,,n)(1, 2, \dots, n), we say that xjx_j lies in between xix_i and xkx_k if i<j<ki < j < k. (For example, in the permutation (1,3,2,4)(1, 3, 2, 4), 33 lies in between 11 and 44, and 44 does not lie in between 11 and 22.) Set S={p1,p2,,pm}S = \{p_1, p_2, \dots, p_m\} consists of (distinct) permutations pip_i of (1,2,,n)(1, 2, \dots, n). Suppose that among every three distinct numbers in {1,2,,n}\{1, 2, \dots, n\}, one of these numbers does not lie in between the other two numbers in every permutation piSp_i \in S. Determine the maximum value of mm.

Solution

The answer is 2n12^{n-1}.

We first show that m2n1m \le 2^{n-1}. We induct on nn. The base case n=3n=3 is trivial. (Indeed, say 33 does not lie in between 11 and 22, then we can have S={(1,2,3),(3,1,2),(2,1,3),(3,2,1)}S = \{(1, 2, 3), (3, 1, 2), (2, 1, 3), (3, 2, 1)\}.) Assume that the statement is true for n=kn=k (where k3k \ge 3). Now consider n=k+1n=k+1 and a set Sk+1S_{k+1} satisfies the conditions of the problem. Note that if the element k+1k+1 is deleted from each permutation pip_i in Sk+1S_{k+1}, the resulting permutations qiq_i form a set SkS_k that satisfies the conditions of the problem (for n=kn=k). It suffices to show the following claim: there are at most two distinct permutations pp and qq in Sk+1S_{k+1} that can map to the same permutation rr in SkS_k (by deleting the element k+1k+1 in the permutations pp and qq).

Indeed, assume that for
p1=(x1,x2,,xk+1),p2=(y1,y2,,yk+1), p3=(z1,z2,,zk+1) p_1 = (x_1, x_2, \dots, x_{k+1}), \quad p_2 = (y_1, y_2, \dots, y_{k+1}), \ p_3 = (z_1, z_2, \dots, z_{k+1})
in Sk+1S_{k+1}, q1=q2=q3=qq_1 = q_2 = q_3 = q. By symmetry, we may assume that q=(1,2,,k)q = (1, 2, \dots, k). Assume that xa=yb=zc=k+1x_a = y_b = z_c = k+1. Again by symmetry, we may assume that 1a<b<ck+11 \le a < b < c \le k+1. (Note that because q1=q2=q3=qq_1 = q_2 = q_3 = q, a,b,ca, b, c are distinct.) We consider three numbers a,b,k+1a, b, k+1. We have p1=(,k+1,a,,b,)p_1 = (\dots, k+1, a, \dots, b, \dots) (in particular, aa lies in between k+1k+1 and bb), p2=(,a,,k+1,b,)p_2 = (\dots, a, \dots, k+1, b, \dots) (in particular, k+1k+1 lies in between aa and bb), and p3=(,a,,b,,k+1,)p_3 = (\dots, a, \dots, b, \dots, k+1, \dots) (in particular, bb lies in between aa and k+1k+1). Hence each one of the numbers a,b,k+1a, b, k+1 lie in between the other two numbers in some permutations in SkS_k, violating the conditions of SkS_k. Thus our assumption was wrong and at most two elements in Sk+1S_{k+1} can be mapped to an element in SkS_k, establishing our claim.

It remains to be shown that m=2n1m = 2^{n-1} is achievable. We construct permutation pp inductively: (1) place 11; (2) after numbers 1,2,,l1, 2, \ldots, l are placed, we place l+1l+1 either to the left or the right of all the numbers placed so far. Because there are two possible places for each of the numbers 2,3,,n2, 3, \ldots, n, we can construct 2n12^{n-1} such permutations. For any three numbers 1a<b<cn1 \le a < b < c \le n, cc does not lie in between aa and bb. Hence, this set of 2n12^{n-1} permutations satisfies the conditions of the problem, completing our proof.

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