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Geometry Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Slovenia

For what positive integers n3n \ge 3 does there exist a polygon with nn vertices (not necessarily convex) with the property that each of its sides is parallel to another one of its sides?

Solution

If n3n \ge 3 is even, n=2kn = 2k, then such a polygon exists since every regular 2k2k-gon satisfies the condition.

If n=3n = 3 or n=5n = 5, then such a polygon does not exist. Indeed, no two sides in a triangle are parallel. If every side of a pentagon would be parallel to some other side, we could find three parallel sides and two of these should be adjacent. This is not possible.

For n=7n = 7 such a polygon exists as shown by the figure.
Figure 1

Let us prove by induction that for odd positive integers nn, n7n \ge 7, a polygon with the required property exists. Assume that for some integer kk a kk-gon with this property exists. Choose a vertex at which the inner angle is less than 180180^\circ. Now, cut away a small parallelogram as shown in the figure. We obtain a (k+2)(k+2)-gon which has the required property. A few examples are shown in the figure below.
Figure 2
Figure 3
n=9n = 9
Figure 4
n=11n = 11
Figure 5
n=13n = 13

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