Let be a sequence of natural numbers whose sum is Show that for any natural number there are some consecutive numbers from this sequence whose sum is or
Solution
1. Define Partial Sums:
Consider the partial sums for . Clearly, are natural numbers ranging from 1 to 100, inclusive, since the sum of all 51 numbers is 100.
2. **Case 1: :**
- Create pairs . There are such pairs.
- By the Pigeonhole Principle, since we have 51 partial sums and only pairs, at least one pair must receive two partial sums. Suppose pair receives partial sums and with .
- Then, .
- Thus, there exist consecutive terms whose sum is .
3. **Case 2: :**
- Create pairs . There are such pairs.
- By the Pigeonhole Principle, since we have 51 partial sums and only pairs, at least one pair must receive two partial sums. Suppose pair receives partial sums and with .
- Then, .
- Thus, there exist consecutive terms whose sum is .
4. Conclusion:
In either case, for any natural number , there are some consecutive numbers from the sequence whose sum is either or .