3.66 is an integer, are integers satisfying , prove that there exist different integers , such that
Solution
[Proof] We prove a stronger conclusion: among integers satisfying -3, there must exist , all not equal to , such that
We use proof by contradiction. Assume that there do not exist satisfying the above equation, and let
When (an odd number), consider pairs of numbers . Since the sum of each pair is , the number of pairs where both numbers belong to is at most one. Since these pairs of numbers include all integers from 1 to , the elements of set must all appear in these pairs. Therefore, the number of elements in set is
which is a contradiction.
When (an even number), consider pairs of numbers , . Since the sum of each pair is , the number of pairs where both numbers belong to is at most one. Since these pairs of numbers include all integers from 1 to except , all elements of set except possibly must appear in these pairs. Therefore, the number of elements in set is
Thus, the original proposition is proved.