M is an 8×8 matrix. For 1≤i≤8, all entries in row i are at least i, and all entries on column i are at least i. What is the minimum possible sum of the entries of M ?
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Solution
Let sn be the minimum possible sum for an n by n matrix. Then, we note that increasing it by adding row n+1 and column n+1 gives 2n+1 additional entries, each of which has minimal size at least n+1. Consequently, we obtain sn+1=sn+(2n+1)(n+1)=sn+2n2+3n+1. Since s0=0, we get that s8=2(72+…+02)+3(7+…+0)+8=372.
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