Skip to main content
OlympiadHQ

Browse · MathNet

Print

62nd Ukrainian National Mathematical Olympiad

Ukraine algebra

Problem

real numbers are placed on the circle. It is known that for any four consecutive numbers that go around the circle in this specified order, the condition holds. For which can we conclude that all the numbers are equal?
Solution
We denote the numbers in the circle by . Choose the largest among them (or any of them, if there are several such numbers). Without loss of generality, let this number be . From the condition of the problem we have that Since is the largest number, the last equality implies that : that is, every second number is the largest, if we continue with the same reasoning. If is odd, then all the numbers will be equal.

For even numbers it is enough to consider the following example with not all equal numbers: .
Final answer
all odd n

Techniques

Recurrence relationsColoring schemes, extremal arguments