Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /611 of 860

Algebra Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Find the answer

Find all the integers n>1n>1 with the following property: the numbers 1,2,,n1,2, \ldots, n can be arranged in a line so that, of any two adjacent numbers, one is divisible by the other.

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

Solution

2,3,4,62,3,4,6 The values n=2,3,4,6n=2,3,4,6 work, as shown by respective examples 1,2;2,1,3;2,4,1,3;3,6,2,4,1,52 ; 2,1,3 ; 2,4,1,3 ; 3,6,2,4,1,5. We shall show that there are no other possibilities. If n=2k+1n=2 k+1 is odd, then none of the numbers k+1,k+2,,2k+1k+1, k+2, \ldots, 2 k+1 can divide any other, so no two of these numbers are adjacent. This is only possible if they occupy the 1st, 3rd, ,(2k+1)\ldots,(2 k+1)th positions in the line, which means every number k\leq k is adjacent to two of these and hence divides two of them. But kk only divides one of these numbers when k2k \geq 2. Thus no odd n5n \geq 5 works. If n=2kn=2 k is even, the numbers k+1,k+2,,2kk+1, k+2, \ldots, 2 k again must be mutually nonadjacent, but now this means we can have up to two numbers k\leq k each of which is adjacent to only one number >k>k, and if there are two such numbers, they must be adjacent. If k4k \geq 4, then each of k1,kk-1, k divides only one of the numbers k+1,,2kk+1, \ldots, 2 k, so k1,kk-1, k must be adjacent, but this is impossible. Thus no even k8k \geq 8 works, and we are done.

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