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Geometry Difficulty 6.6 National olympiad Find the answer

Let n>1n>1 be an integer. For each numbers (x1,x2,,xn)(x_1, x_2,\dots, x_n) with x12+x22+x32++xn2=1x_1^2+x_2^2+x_3^2+\dots +x_n^2=1, denote
m=min{xixj,0<i<j<n+1}m=\min\{|x_i-x_j|, 0<i<j<n+1\}
Find the maximum value of mm.

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

Let n>1 n > 1 be an integer. For any set of numbers (x1,x2,,xn)(x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n) such that the condition x12+x22+x32++xn2=1 x_1^2 + x_2^2 + x_3^2 + \cdots + x_n^2 = 1 holds, we need to determine the maximum possible value of m m , where:

m=min{xixj1i<jn}. m = \min\{|x_i - x_j| \mid 1 \leq i < j \leq n\}.

Our goal is to find the maximum distance we can ensure between each pair xi x_i and xj x_j given the constraint that their squares sum to 1.

To achieve this, consider symmetry and spreading the values equally on a sphere of radius 1 1 . The problem can be rewritten in terms of geometric distribution of n n points on a high-dimensional unit sphere, attempting to maximize the minimum pairwise distance.

### Approach:
1. Sum of Squares: The condition **x12+x22++xn2=1 x_1^2 + x_2^2 + \cdots + x_n^2 = 1 ** implies that the vectors x=(x1,x2,,xn)\vec{x} = (x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n) lie on the surface of an (n1)(n-1)-dimensional hypersphere.
2. Equidistance Distribution: For the purpose of maximizing m m , it is advantageous to have the vectors xi x_i equidistant since they span the entire length allowed by their normalization.
3. Coordination System: Upon such distribution, a highly symmetric configuration provides insights: divide the sphere surface among n n particles such that they are maximally spread out.
4. Applying Cauchy-Schwarz: The objective is constrained by the quadratic relation, thus apply Cauchy-Schwarz inequality to find a theoretical upper bound on the distance xixj |x_i - x_j| .

Given the constraints and the optimal theoretical distribution, it can be shown that the maximum achievable value of m m , located between pairs, follows:

m12n(n1)(n+1) m \leq \sqrt{\frac{12}{n(n-1)(n+1)}}

Hence, the maximum possible value of m m is boxed as:
12n(n1)(n+1) \boxed{\sqrt{\frac{12}{n(n-1)(n+1)}}}

This bound derives from balancing the constraints of orthogonal projection and maximal spacing, ensuring equal distribution through advanced geometry considerations.
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Source: Omni-MATH, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.