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Combinatorics Difficulty 6.4 National olympiad Find the answer

Set T{1,2,,n}3T\subset\{1,2,\dots,n\}^3 has the property that for any two triplets (a,b,c)(a,b,c) and (x,y,z)(x,y,z) in TT, we have a<b<ca<b<c, and also, we know that at most one of the equalities a=xa=x, b=yb=y, c=zc=z holds. Maximize T|T|.

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

To solve this problem, we need to maximize the size of the set T{1,2,,n}3 T \subset \{1,2,\dots,n\}^3 under the given constraints. Let's break down the problem step by step.

1. Understanding the Constraints:
- Each triplet (a,b,c)T(a, b, c) \in T must satisfy a<b<ca < b < c.
- For any two distinct triplets (a,b,c)(a, b, c) and (x,y,z)(x, y, z) in TT, at most one of the equalities a=xa = x, b=yb = y, or c=zc = z can hold.

2. Analyzing the Triplet Structure:
- Since a<b<ca < b < c, each triplet is strictly increasing.
- We need to ensure that no two triplets share more than one coordinate.

3. **Constructing the Set TT:**
- Consider the set of all possible triplets (a,b,c)(a, b, c) where 1a<b<cn1 \leq a < b < c \leq n.
- The number of such triplets is given by the binomial coefficient (n3)\binom{n}{3}, which counts the number of ways to choose 3 distinct elements from nn elements in increasing order.

4. Ensuring the Constraint on Equalities:
- We need to ensure that no two triplets share more than one coordinate.
- One way to achieve this is to select triplets such that no two triplets have the same first, second, or third element.

5. **Maximizing the Size of TT:**
- To maximize T|T|, we need to find the largest possible subset of (n3)\binom{n}{3} triplets that satisfies the constraints.
- A useful approach is to consider the combinatorial structure and use the pigeonhole principle to ensure that no two triplets share more than one coordinate.

6. **Constructing a Valid Set TT:**
- One possible construction is to choose triplets such that each element a,b,ca, b, c appears in a unique position across different triplets.
- For example, if n=4n = 4, we can choose the triplets (1,2,3)(1, 2, 3), (1,3,4)(1, 3, 4), (2,3,4)(2, 3, 4), ensuring that no two triplets share more than one coordinate.

7. Generalizing the Construction:
- For a general nn, we can construct a set TT by carefully selecting triplets to avoid sharing more than one coordinate.
- The maximum size of such a set can be shown to be (n3)\boxed{\binom{n}{3}}, as this is the largest number of triplets that can be chosen without violating the constraints.

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Source: NuminaMath-1.5, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.