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Algebra Difficulty 8.8 Shortlist Prove it United States

We say a function f:Z0×Z0Zf: \mathbb{Z}_{\ge 0} \times \mathbb{Z}_{\ge 0} \to \mathbb{Z} is great if for any nonnegative integers mm and nn,
f(m+1,n+1)f(m,n)f(m+1,n)f(m,n+1)=1. f(m+1, n+1)f(m, n) - f(m+1, n)f(m, n+1) = 1.
If A=(a0,a1,)A = (a_0, a_1, \dots) and B=(b0,b1,)B = (b_0, b_1, \dots) are two sequences of integers, we write ABA \sim B if there exists a great function ff satisfying f(n,0)=anf(n, 0) = a_n and f(0,n)=bnf(0, n) = b_n for every nonnegative integer nn (in particular, a0=b0a_0 = b_0).
Prove that if A,B,CA, B, C, and DD are four sequences of integers satisfying AB,BCA \sim B, B \sim C, and CDC \sim D, then DAD \sim A.

Solution

First solution (Nikolai Beluhov) Let k=a0=b0=c0=d0k = a_0 = b_0 = c_0 = d_0. We let f,g,hf, g, h be great functions for (A,B),(B,C),(C,D)(A, B), (B, C), (C, D) and write the following infinite array:
[b3g(2,2)g(2,1)b2f(1,2)f(2,2)g(1,2)g(1,1)b1f(1,1)f(2,1)c3c2c1ka1a2a3h(2,1)h(1,1)d1h(2,2)h(1,2)d2d3] \left[ \begin{array}{ccccccccc} \vdots & \vdots & b_3 & \vdots & \vdots & & & \\ \cdots & g(2,2) & g(2,1) & b_2 & f(1,2) & f(2,2) & \cdots & \\ \cdots & g(1,2) & g(1,1) & b_1 & f(1,1) & f(2,1) & \cdots & \\ c_3 & c_2 & c_1 & k & a_1 & a_2 & a_3 & \\ \cdots & h(2,1) & h(1,1) & d_1 & & & & \\ \cdots & h(2,2) & h(1,2) & d_2 & & & & \\ \vdots & \vdots & d_3 & & & & \ddots & \end{array} \right]
The greatness condition is then equivalent to saying that any 2×22 \times 2 sub-grid has determinant ±1\pm 1 (the sign is +1+1 in two quadrants and 1-1 in the other two), and we wish to fill in the lower-right quadrant. To this end, it suffices to prove the following.
Lemma
Suppose we have a 3×33 \times 3 sub-grid
[abcxyzpq] \begin{bmatrix} a & b & c \\ x & y & z \\ p & q & \end{bmatrix}
satisfying the determinant conditions. Then we can fill in the ninth entry in the lower right with an integer while retaining greatness.
Proof. We consider only the case where the 3×33 \times 3 is completely contained inside the bottom-right quadrant, since the other cases are exactly the same (or even by flipping the signs of the top row or left column appropriately).
If y=0y = 0 we have 1=bz=bx=xq-1 = bz = bx = xq, hence qz=1qz = -1, and we can fill in the entry arbitrarily.
Otherwise, we have bxxqbz1(mody)bx \equiv xq \equiv bz \equiv -1 \pmod y. This is enough to imply qz1(mody)qz \equiv -1 \pmod y, and so we can fill in the integer qz+1y\frac{qz+1}{y}. \square

Second solution (Ankan Bhattacharya) We will give an explicit classification of great sequences:
Lemma
The pair (A,B)(A, B) is great if and only if a0=b0a_0 = b_0, a0a1b1+1a_0 \mid a_1b_1 + 1, and anan1+an+1a_n \mid a_{n-1} + a_{n+1} and bnbn1+bn+1b_n \mid b_{n-1} + b_{n+1} for all nn.
Proof of necessity. It is clear that a0=b0a_0 = b_0. Then a0f(1,1)a1b1=1a_0f(1,1) - a_1b_1 = 1, i.e. a0a1b1+1a_0 \mid a_1b_1 + 1. Now, focus on six entries f(x,y)f(x,y) with x{n1,n,n+1}x \in \{n-1, n, n+1\} and y{0,1}y \in \{0, 1\}. Let f(n1,1)=uf(n-1,1) = u, f(n,1)=vf(n,1) = v, and f(n+1,1)=wf(n+1,1) = w, so
van1uan=1,wanvan+1=1. \begin{aligned} va_{n-1} - u a_n &= 1, \\ wa_n - v a_{n+1} &= 1. \end{aligned}
Then
u+w=v(an1+an+1)an u + w = \frac{v(a_{n-1} + a_{n+1})}{a_n}
and from above gcd(v,an)=1\gcd(v, a_n) = 1, so anan1+an+1a_n \mid a_{n-1} + a_{n+1}; similarly for bnb_n. (If an=0a_n = 0, we have van1=1v a_{n-1} = 1 and van+1=1v a_{n+1} = -1, so this is OK.) \square
Proof of sufficiency. Now consider two sequences a0,a1,a_0, a_1, \dots and b0,b1,b_0, b_1, \dots satisfying our criteria. We build a great function ff by induction on (x,y)(x, y). More strongly, we will assume as part of the inductive hypothesis that any two adjacent entries of ff are relatively prime and that for any three consecutive entries horizontally or vertically, the middle one divides the sum of the other two.
First we set f(1,1)f(1,1) so that a0f(1,1)=a1b1+1a_0 f(1,1) = a_1 b_1 + 1, which is possible.
Consider an uninitialized f(s,t)f(s,t); without loss of generality suppose s2s \ge 2. Then we know five values of ff and wish to set a sixth one zz, as in the matrix below:
(uxvywz) \begin{pmatrix} u & x \\ v & y \\ w & z \end{pmatrix}
(We imagine aa-indices to increase southwards and bb-indices to increase eastwards.) If v0v \ne 0, then the choice yu+wvxy \cdot \frac{u+w}{v} - x works as uyvx=1u y - v x = 1. If v=0v = 0, it easily follows that {u,w}={1,1}\{u, w\} = \{1, -1\} and y=wy = w as yw=1y w = 1. Then we set the uninitialized entry to anything.
Now we verify that this is compatible with the inductive hypothesis. From the determinant 11 condition, it easily follows that gcd(w,z)=gcd(v,z)=1\gcd(w, z) = \gcd(v, z) = 1. The proof that yx+zy \mid x + z is almost identical to a step performed in the “necessary” part of the lemma and we do not repeat it here. By induction, a desired great function ff exists. \square
We complete the solution. Let A,B,CA, B, C, and DD be integer sequences for which (A,B)(A, B), (B,C)(B, C), and (C,D)(C, D) are great. Then a0=b0=c0=d0a_0 = b_0 = c_0 = d_0, and each term in each sequence (after the zeroth term) divides the sum of its neighbors. Since a0a_0 divides all three of a1b1+1a_1b_1 + 1, b1c1+1b_1c_1 + 1, and c1d1+1c_1d_1 + 1, it follows a0a_0 divides d1a1+1d_1a_1 + 1, and thus (D,A)(D, A) is great as desired.

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