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Number theory Difficulty 5.5 AIME, harder Find the answer

If (1,2,,n)(1,2, \cdots, n) are all square numbers, then nn is called a "good number". Try to determine which of 11,13,15,17,1911,13,15,17,19 are good numbers, and which are not good numbers.

Solution

11 is not a good number. Because 11 can only be added to 5 to get a square number, and 4 must be added to 5 to get a square number. Therefore, at least one of 11+a1111+a_{11} and 4+a44+a_{4} is not a square number.
13 is a good number, because
8,2,13,12,11,10,9,1,7,6,5,4,3 8,2,13,12,11,10,9,1,7,6,5,4,3

is a valid arrangement.
15 is a good number, because
15,14,13,12,11,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 15,14,13,12,11,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

is a valid arrangement.
17 is a good number, because
3,7,6,5,4,10,2,17,16,15,14,13,12,11,1,9,8 3,7,6,5,4,10,2,17,16,15,14,13,12,11,1,9,8

is a valid arrangement.
19 is a good number, because
8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,16,15,14,13,12,11,10,9,19,18,17 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,16,15,14,13,12,11,10,9,19,18,17

is a valid arrangement.
Note: It can be proven that 1,2,4,6,7,111,2,4,6,7,11 are not good numbers, and the rest of the natural numbers are good numbers. The proof uses induction. It is not difficult to verify that the conclusion holds for n25n \leqslant 25.
Assume that the conclusion holds for n(m1)2(m6)n \leqslant(m-1)^{2}(m \geqslant 6). Consider (m1)2+j(m-1)^{2}+j, where the natural number j2m1j \leqslant 2 m-1.
Since m6m \geqslant 6,
(m+1)2((m1)2+j)=4mj<4m<(m1)2,4mj12m12, \begin{array}{c} (m+1)^{2}-\left((m-1)^{2}+j\right)=4 m-j<4 m<(m-1)^{2}, \\ 4 m-j-1 \geqslant 2 m \geqslant 12, \end{array}

so 1,2,,4mj1=h1,2, \cdots, 4 m-j-1=h can be arranged into a1,a2,,aha_{1}, a_{2}, \cdots, a_{h}, such that k+ak(k=1,2,,h)k+a_{k}(k=1,2, \cdots, h) are all square numbers. And 4mj,4mj+1,,(m1)21j4 m-j, 4 m-j+1, \cdots,(m-1)^{2} 1-j can be arranged in reverse order,
(4mj+i)+((m1)2+ji)=(m+1)2, (4 m-j+i)+\left((m-1)^{2}+j-i\right)=(m+1)^{2},

so 1,2,,4mj1,4mj,,(m1)2+j1,2, \cdots, 4 m-j-1,4 m-j, \cdots,(m-1)^{2}+j can be arranged as
a1,a2,,ah,(m1)2+j,,4mj, a_{1}, a_{2}, \cdots, a_{h},(m-1)^{2}+j, \cdots, 4 m-j,

satisfying k+ak(k=1,2,,(m1)2+j)k+a_{k}\left(k=1,2, \cdots,(m-1)^{2}+j\right) are all square numbers.
Therefore, all numbers greater than 11 are good numbers.

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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.