Skip to main content
OlympiadHQ

Browse · MathNet

Print

THE 68th ROMANIAN MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD

Romania counting and probability

Problem

Determine all ways to color in green and red the numbers such that the following conditions are fulfilled:

a) the number is colored red;

b) if the numbers and have different colors and , then the number must be colored green;

c) if the numbers and have different colors and , then the number must be colored red.
Solution
If is colored red, then for any green , we have must be colored red, a contradiction. Hence all numbers must be red in this case.

Consider now that is colored green.

If is red, then must be green, so must also be green, contradiction. So must be green.

If is red, then must be green, contradiction. So must be green. If is red, then must be green, contradiction. So must be green.

Since has a different color than , all the numbers , , , must be green, and must be red. The numbers , respectively cannot be obtained as the product, respectively the sum, of and another number, so that this coloring satisfies the conditions in the statement of the problem.

Consequently, there are two possible colorings: all numbers colored red, or and colored red and the other numbers green.
Final answer
Two colorings: (1) all numbers red; (2) red numbers: 5 and 10, and all other numbers green.

Techniques

Coloring schemes, extremal arguments