Maths Olympiad Prep

Track / Stage 6 / 340 of 400 #1820 of 2444

Problem 1820

National Olympiad, first round
Combinatorics Difficulty 6.8 Prove it Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad · Brazil

A graph GG with nn vertices is called great if we can label each vertex with a different positive integer not exceeding n24\left\lfloor \frac{n^2}{4} \right\rfloor and find a set of non-negative integers DD so that there is an edge between two vertices if and only if the difference between their labels is in DD. Show that if nn is sufficiently large we can always find a graph with nn vertices which is not great.

This one wants a proof. Work it on paper, then read the official solution and mark yourself. Be honest about it: the record is only any use to you if it is.

Next problem →

Official solution

Let's count the number of ordered pairs (f,D)(f, D), where ff is a labeling of vertices and DD a possible set of differences of labels of vertices joined by an edge.
Note that an ordered pair (f,D)(f, D) determines at most one great graph, since the labeling ff determine the vertices and the set of differences DD determine the edges of the graph (we join two vertices if and only if the difference between their labels is in DD), unless there is some contradiction among the differences. In the latter case (f,D)(f, D) determines no great graph.
There are n24!(n24n)!(n24)n\frac{\left\lfloor \frac{n^2}{4} \right\rfloor!}{\left(\left\lfloor \frac{n^2}{4} \right\rfloor - n\right)!} \le \left(\frac{n^2}{4}\right)^n labelings and since D{1,2,,n24}D \subset \{1, 2, \dots, \left\lfloor \frac{n^2}{4} \right\rfloor\}, there are 2n242n242^{\left\lfloor \frac{n^2}{4} \right\rfloor} \le 2^{\frac{n^2}{4}} possibilities for DD. Thus the number of ordered pairs (and, henceforth, the number of great graphs with nn vertices) is not greater than (n24)n2n24\left(\frac{n^2}{4}\right)^n \cdot 2^{\frac{n^2}{4}}.
But the number of graphs with nn vertices is 2(n2)=2n(n1)22^{\binom{n}{2}} = 2^{\frac{n(n-1)}{2}}. Therefore it suffices to show that for sufficiently large nn
(n24)n2n24<2n(n1)2 \left(\frac{n^2}{4}\right)^n \cdot 2^{\frac{n^2}{4}} < 2^{\frac{n(n-1)}{2}}
Taking logarithms on both sides,
nlog2n24+n24<n22n2    2log2(n2)<n412 n \cdot \log_2 \frac{n^2}{4} + \frac{n^2}{4} < \frac{n^2}{2} - \frac{n}{2} \iff 2 \log_2 \left(\frac{n}{2}\right) < \frac{n}{4} - \frac{1}{2}
which is true for sufficiently large nn, since log grows slower than any polynomial with degree at least 1 and positive leader coefficient (it is true, indeed, for n>33n > 33).

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty, ordering) added by this project.