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Geometry Difficulty 7.2 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Taiwan

Let nn be a positive integer and N=n2021N = n^{2021}. There are 2021 concentric circles centered at OO, and NN equally-spaced rays are emitted from point OO. Among the 2021N2021N intersections of the circles and the rays, some are painted red while the others remain unpainted.

It is known that, no matter how one intersection point from each circle is chosen, there is an angle θ\theta such that after a rotation of θ\theta with respect to OO, all chosen points are moved to red points. Prove that the minimum number of red points is 2021n20202021n^{2020}.

Solution

Let us number the concentric circles in order as 1,2,,20211, 2, \dots, 2021, and number the rays in order as 0,1,,N10, 1, \dots, N-1, and let Ai{0,1,,N1}:=NA_i \in \{0, 1, \dots, N-1\} := \mathcal{N} be the set of ray indices for which there is a red point on the ii-th concentric circle. The coincidence condition in the problem statement is equivalent to: for all (x1,,x2021)N2021(x_1, \dots, x_{2021}) \in \mathcal{N}^{2021}, there exists (y1,,y2021)A1××A2021(y_1, \dots, y_{2021}) \in A_1 \times \dots \times A_{2021} such that
x1y1x2021y2021modN.(1) x_1 - y_1 \equiv \dots \equiv x_{2021} - y_{2021} \quad \mod N. \quad (1)

The number of red points that the problem asks us to compute is then equal to i=12021Ai\sum_{i=1}^{2021} |A_i|. For convenience of explanation, we say below that (x1,,x2021)(x_1, \dots, x_{2021}) and (y1,,y2021)(y_1, \dots, y_{2021}) satisfying (1) are congruent.

First we prove the lower bound. Note that any (y1,,y2021)A1××A2021(y_1, \dots, y_{2021}) \in A_1 \times \dots \times A_{2021} can be congruent to at most NN elements (x1,,x2021)N2021(x_1, \dots, x_{2021}) \in \mathcal{N}^{2021}, and since N2021=N2021|\mathcal{N}^{2021}| = N^{2021}, we must have A1××A2021=i=12021Ai|A_1 \times \dots \times A_{2021}| = \prod_{i=1}^{2021} |A_i| at least N2021/N=N2020N^{2021}/N = N^{2020}, and therefore
i=12021Ai2021(i=12021Ai)1/20212021N2020/2021=2021n2020. \sum_{i=1}^{2021} |A_i| \ge 2021 \left( \prod_{i=1}^{2021} |A_i| \right)^{1/2021} \ge 2021 N^{2020/2021} = 2021 n^{2020}.

Next we prove that this lower bound is attainable; to this end, we construct A1,,A2021A_1, \dots, A_{2021} satisfying the required condition, each of size n2020n^{2020}. Define Si={0,ni1,2ni1,,(n1)ni1}S_i = \{0, n^{i-1}, 2n^{i-1}, \dots, (n-1)n^{i-1}\}, and let Ai={0,1,,N1}SiA_i = \{0, 1, \dots, N-1\} \setminus S_i. The following lemma proves that this collection of AiA_i indeed satisfies the requirement of the problem (just substitute s=2021s = 2021).

Lemma: For all s2021s \le 2021, let Bs,i={0}S1SsB_{s,i} = \{0\} \cup S_1 \cup \dots \cup S_s, and
As,i={Bs,i1i2021s,Bs,iSi+s20212022si2021. A_{s,i} = \begin{cases} B_{s,i} & 1 \le i \le 2021 - s, \\ B_{s,i} - S_{i+s-2021} & 2022 - s \le i \le 2021. \end{cases}
Then for all (x1,,x2021){0,,ns1}2021(x_1, \dots, x_{2021}) \in \{0, \dots, n^s - 1\}^{2021}, there exists (a1,,a2021)As,1×As,2××As,2021(a_1, \dots, a_{2021}) \in A_{s,1} \times A_{s,2} \times \dots \times A_{s,2021} satisfying a1x1a2x2a2021x2021modnsa_1 - x_1 \equiv a_2 - x_2 \equiv \dots \equiv a_{2021} - x_{2021} \mod n^s.

Proof: When s=0s = 0, this is obvious. Assume the statement holds for s1s-1. Now consider any (x1,,x2021){0,,ns1}2021(x_1, \cdots, x_{2021}) \in \{0, \cdots, n^s - 1\}^{2021}. Since translation does not affect the congruence relation, without loss of generality assume x2022s=0x_{2022-s} = 0.

By the division principle, take xi=qin+rix_i = q_i n + r_i, where riS1r_i \in S_1. Note that (q1,,q2021){0,,ns11}2021(q_1, \cdots, q_{2021}) \in \{0, \cdots, n^{s-1}-1\}^{2021}, so by the induction hypothesis, there exists (a1,,a2021)As1,1××As1,2021(a'_1, \cdots, a'_{2021}) \in A_{s-1,1} \times \cdots \times A_{s-1,2021} such that a1q1a2021q2021modns1a'_1 - q_1 \equiv \cdots \equiv a'_{2021} - q_{2021} \bmod n^{s-1}. By construction, for all i2022si \neq 2022-s, we have As,i=S1+nAs1,iA_{s,i} = S_1 + n A_{s-1,i}, so nai+riAs,ina'_i + r_i \in A_{s,i}; and for i=2022si = 2022-s, since x2022s=0x_{2022-s} = 0 implies r2022s=0r_{2022-s} = 0, and the construction guarantees As,2022s=nAs1,2022sA_{s,2022-s} = n A_{s-1,2022-s}, we have na2022s+r2022sAs,2022sna'_{2022-s} + r_{2022-s} \in A_{s,2022-s}.

Finally note that
(nai+rixi)(na2022s+r2022sx2022s)n(aia2022s)+rir2022s(xix2022s)n(qiq2022s)+rir2022s(qin+riq2022snr2022s)0modns, (na'_{i} + r_{i} - x_{i}) - (na'_{2022-s} + r_{2022-s} - x_{2022-s}) \equiv n(a'_{i} - a'_{2022-s}) + r_{i} - r_{2022-s} - (x_{i} - x_{2022-s}) \equiv n(q_{i} - q_{2022-s}) + r_{i} - r_{2022-s} - (q_{i} n + r_{i} - q_{2022-s} n - r_{2022-s}) \equiv 0 \mod n^{s},
we know there exists (a1,,a2021)As,1××As,2021(a_1, \cdots, a_{2021}) \in A_{s,1} \times \cdots \times A_{s,2021} satisfying a1x1a2x2a2021x2021modnsa_1 - x_1 \equiv a_2 - x_2 \equiv \cdots \equiv a_{2021} - x_{2021} \mod n^s. This completes the proof.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement translated into English from zh; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.