Prove that for every positive integer , the set can be partitioned into triples in such a way that the numbers from each triple are the lengths of the sides of some obtuse triangle.
Solution
Throughout the solution, we denote by the set . We say that is an obtuse triple if are the sides of some obtuse triangle. We prove by induction on that there exists a partition of into obtuse triples having the form . For the base case , one can simply set . For the induction step, we need the following simple lemma.
Lemma. Suppose that the numbers .
Now we turn to the induction step. Let and put , so this triangle is obtuse. The proof is completed.
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