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Geometry Difficulty 7.6 National Olympiad, round 2 Prove it Iran

a_1, a_2, ,\dots, a_nand and b_1, b_2, ,\dots, b_nare are 2n positive numbers. We know that all the a_is,'s, 1 i\le i \le n are not equal, and that they can be separated into two partitions of equal sum. These two properties hold for the b_is,'s, 1 i\le i \le n, as well. Prove that there exists a simple 2n-gon with sides parallel to the coordinate axes such that the lengths of its horizontal edges are equal to a_i's and the lengths of its vertical edges are equal to b_i$'s (a simple polygon is one that does not cross itself).

Solution

We start with a lemma.

Lemma 1. Suppose that are given two sequences a1>a2>>ama_1 > a_2 > \dots > a_m and b1<b2<<bmb_1 < b_2 < \dots < b_m of positive real numbers as lengths of segments. We start from the origin and at the step ii (1im1 \le i \le m), we go up with a segment of length aia_i and then we go right with a segment of length bib_i. Suppose that ll is the line connecting origin to the endpoint of the last segment. Show that all segments lie in the top of line ll.

Proof. Assume to the contrary that there is a first segment which intersects ll, say ll'. Obviously, ll' is a horizontal segment because if it was vertical, it could not be the first segment intersecting ll. Suppose that l=bil' = b_i. We denote by OO and XX the origin and the endpoint of the segment bib_i, respectively. Since XX lies below the line ll, we get that the slope of OXOX is less than the slope of ll.
j=0iajj=0ibj=Slope of OX<Slope of l=j=0majj=0mbj \frac{\sum_{j=0}^{i} a_j}{\sum_{j=0}^{i} b_j} = \text{Slope of } OX < \text{Slope of } l = \frac{\sum_{j=0}^{m} a_j}{\sum_{j=0}^{m} b_j}
or equivalently
j=0iajj=0maj<j=0ibjj=0mbj() \frac{\sum_{j=0}^{i} a_j}{\sum_{j=0}^{m} a_j} < \frac{\sum_{j=0}^{i} b_j}{\sum_{j=0}^{m} b_j} \quad (*)

Note that since bib_i's are increasing we have
ij=i+1mbj>(mi)j=0ibjij=0mbj>mj=0ibj i \sum_{j=i+1}^{m} b_j > (m-i) \sum_{j=0}^{i} b_j \Rightarrow i \sum_{j=0}^{m} b_j > m \sum_{j=0}^{i} b_j
This implies that the right hand side of ()(*) is less than im\frac{i}{m}. Similar arguments show that the left hand side of ()(*) is greater than im\frac{i}{m} (note that aia_i's assumed to be decreasing). This contradiction established the lemma. \Box

For the main problem suppose that we have divided both aia_i's and bib_i's into two sets having equal sums.

* i=1kai=i=k+1nai\sum_{i=1}^{k} a_i = \sum_{i=k+1}^{n} a_i such that akak1a2a1,anan1ak+1a_k \le a_{k-1} \le \dots \le a_2 \le a_1, a_n \le a_{n-1} \le \dots \le a_{k+1}, where a1ak+1a_1 \ge a_{k+1}.
* i=1sbi=i=s+1nbi\sum_{i=1}^{s} b_i = \sum_{i=s+1}^{n} b_i such that bsbs1b2b1,bnbn1bs+1b_s \ge b_{s-1} \ge \dots \ge b_2 \ge b_1, b_n \ge b_{n-1} \ge \dots \ge b_{s+1}, where b1bs+1b_1 \le b_{s+1}.

There is no loss of generality in assuming that kn2sk \le \frac{n}{2} \le s. We will use the following algorithm for constructing the polygon.

* We start from the origin (C0C_0 is the origin).
* For 1is1 \le i \le s, at the ii-th step, we start from C2(i1)C_{2(i-1)}, then we go up in a segment of length aia_i to get C2i1C_{2i-1} and then right in a segment of length bib_i to get C2iC_{2i}.
* For s<iks < i \le k, at the ii-th step, we start from C2(i1)C_{2(i-1)}, then we go down in a segment of length aia_i to get C2i1C_{2i-1} and then left in a segment of length bib_i to get C2iC_{2i}.

Note that since the lengths of aia_i's and bib_i's are assumed to be monotone, according to the lemma, first 2s2s sides of polygon lie in the top of the segment C0C2sC_0C_{2s} and the next 2(ks)2(k-s) sides lie in the bottom of C2sC2kC_{2s}C_{2k}.

* For k<ink < i \le n, at the ii-th step, we start from C2(i1)C_{2(i-1)}, then we go down in a segment of length aia_i to get C2i1C_{2i-1} and then left in a segment of length bib_i to get C2iC_{2i}.

Again because of the lemma, all these sides lie in the bottom of the segment C2kC2nC_{2k}C_{2n}.

Figure 1

Because i=1kai=i=k+1nai\sum_{i=1}^{k} a_i = \sum_{i=k+1}^{n} a_i and i=1sbi=i=s+1nbi\sum_{i=1}^{s} b_i = \sum_{i=s+1}^{n} b_i, we return to the origin at the end of the algorithm and so we get a polygon. Now it suffices to prove that this polygon is simple.

Obviously, in each part of algorithm the segments can not intersect each other. On the other hand, according to the lemma, two segments from two different parts of algorithm can intersect only if the segment connecting the first and the last vertex of each part lie on the same line. But this is possible only if k=sk = s (it means that there is not any side in the second part of algorithm). In this case we have intersection on the connecting line only if there are some 1tk1 \le t \le k and k+1lnk+1 \le l \le n, such that
a1++at=al+1++an,at+1++ak=ak+1++al(1) a_1 + \dots + a_t = a_{l+1} + \dots + a_n, \quad a_{t+1} + \dots + a_k = a_{k+1} + \dots + a_l \quad (1)
b1++bt=bl+1++bn,bt+1++bk=bk+1++bl(2) b_1 + \dots + b_t = b_{l+1} + \dots + b_n, \quad b_{t+1} + \dots + b_k = b_{k+1} + \dots + b_l \quad (2)
Since a1++attat+1++akkt\frac{a_1+\dots+a_t}{t} \ge \frac{a_{t+1}+\dots+a_k}{k-t} and al+1++annlak+1++allk\frac{a_{l+1}+\dots+a_n}{n-l} \le \frac{a_{k+1}+\dots+a_l}{l-k}, from (1) we get
tkt(at+1++ak)a1++at=al+1++annllk(ak+1++al)(3) \frac{t}{k-t}(a_{t+1} + \dots + a_k) \le a_1 + \dots + a_t = a_{l+1} + \dots + a_n \le \frac{n-l}{l-k}(a_{k+1} + \dots + a_l) \quad (3)
So tktnllk\frac{t}{k-t} \le \frac{n-l}{l-k}. Similar arguments for bib_i's instead of aia_i's imply nllktkt\frac{n-l}{l-k} \le \frac{t}{k-t}. Therefore, tkt=nllk\frac{t}{k-t} = \frac{n-l}{l-k}. Thus, all inequities in (3) are equalities. So
ata1++attat+1++akktat+1at a_t \le \frac{a_1 + \dots + a_t}{t} \le \frac{a_{t+1} + \dots + a_k}{k-t} \le a_{t+1} \le a_t
Therefore, a1=a2==aka_1 = a_2 = \dots = a_k (say this common value aa) and similarly, ak+1==ana_{k+1} = \dots = a_n (say this common value aa'). Now since a1++ak=ak+1++ana_1 + \dots + a_k = a_{k+1} + \dots + a_n, we have ka=(nk)aka = (n-k)a'. In the same manner, b1=b2==bkb_1 = b_2 = \dots = b_k (say this common value bb), bk+1==bnb_{k+1} = \dots = b_n (say this common value bb') and kb=(nk)bkb = (n-k)b'. But since a=a1ak+1=aa = a_1 \ge a_{k+1} = a' and b=b1bs+1=bb = b_1 \le b_{s+1} = b', we have 1aa=nkk=bb11 \le \frac{a}{a'} = \frac{n-k}{k} = \frac{b}{b'} \le 1. Hence, a=aa = a' and b=bb = b'. It means that all the horizontal segments have equal lengths and all the vertical segments have equal lengths, which contradicts problem conditions.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.