Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /298 of 520

Combinatorics Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Find the answer

Example 6. Using three different numbers from the set S={1,2,,n}(n>3)S=\{1,2, \cdots, n\}(n>3) as side lengths, how many different triangles can be formed?

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

Let TnT_{\mathrm{n}} be the number we are looking for, then Tn+1T_{\mathrm{n}}+{ }_{1} is the corresponding number for the set S{n+1}S \cup\{n+1\}. Consider Γn+1Tn\Gamma_{n}+1-T_{n}, it represents the number of triangles with one side length n+1n+1 and the other two sides being different numbers from SS. For each such triangle, the sum of the lengths of the two sides not equal to n+1n+1 is one of the following numbers:
2n1,2n2,,n+3,n+2 2 n-1,2 n-2, \cdots, n+3, n+2
(there are n2n-2 such numbers).
The number of triangles with these sums are respectively
1,1,2,2,3,3,, up to n2 terms (2ni=n+(ni)=(n1)+(ni+1)=(n2)+(ni+2)=), so, Tn+1Tn=1+1+2+2+3+3+ (up to n2 terms), ={14n(n2), ( n is even )14(n1)2.(n is odd)  \begin{array}{l} 1,1,2,2,3,3, \cdots \text {, up to } n-2 \text { terms } \\ (\because 2 n-i=n+(n-i)=(n-1)+(n-i \\ +1)=(n-2)+(n-i+2)=\cdots) \text {, so, } \\ T_{\mathrm{n}+1}-T_{\mathrm{n}} \\ =1+1+2+2+3+3+\cdots \text { (up to } n-2 \text { terms), } \\ =\left\{\begin{array}{ll} \frac{1}{4} n(n-2), & \text { ( } n \text { is even }) \\ \frac{1}{4}(n-1)^{2} . & (n \text { is odd) } \end{array}\right. \\ \end{array}

Thus, T2τT2r2T_{2 \tau}-T_{2 \mathrm{r}-2}
=(T2rT2r1)+(T2r1T2r)=(r1)2+(r1)(r2)=2r25r+3. \begin{array}{l} =\left(T_{2 r}-T_{2 r-1}\right)+\left(T_{2 r-1} \cdots T_{2 r}\right) \\ =(r \cdots 1)^{2}+(r-1)(r-2) \\ =2 r^{2}-5 r+3 . \end{array}

Substituting rr with r1,r2,,4,3r-1, r-2, \cdots, 4,3 in (1) and adding all the resulting equations, we get
T2τT4=216r(r+1)(2r+1)5r(r+1)+3r(2×225×2+1)=16r(r1)(4r5)1. \begin{array}{l} T_{2 \tau}-T_{4}=2 \cdot \frac{1}{6} r(r+1)(2 r+1) \\ -5 \cdot r(r+1)+3 r-\left(2 \times 2^{2}-5 \times 2+1\right) \\ =\frac{1}{6} r(r-1)(4 r-5)-1 . \end{array}

Clearly, T4=1T_{4}=1 (only 2, 3 form a triangle, 1 cannot form a triangle with any two of 2, 3, 4). Therefore,
T2r=16r(r1)(4r5). T_{2 r}=\frac{1}{6} r(r-1)(4 r-5) .

From this, T2r+1=T2r+r(r1)T_{2 r+1}=T_{2 r}+r(r-1)
=16r(r1)(4r+1) =\frac{1}{6} r(r-1)(4 r+1) \text {, }

i.e., TD=(124n(n2)(2n5),(n=2r)124(n1)(n3)(2n1),T_{\mathrm{D}}=\left(\begin{array}{l}\frac{1}{24} n(n-2)(2 n-5),(n=2 r) \\ \frac{1}{24}(n-1)(n-3)(2 n-1),\end{array}\right.
(n=2r+1) (n=2 r+1) \text {. }

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

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