Problems

Higher Algebra in Combinatorics

Weerawat Pornruangsup

Kamnoetvidya Science Academy

March 16, 2025

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

Outline

1 Problems

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

Let n ≥ 3 and let An , Bn be the sets of all even, respectively

odd, permutations of the set {1, 2, . . . , n}. Prove that
n
X X n
X X
|i − σ(i)| = |i − σ(i)| .
σ∈An i=1 σ∈Bn i=1

[Nicolae Popescu] Gazeta Mathematică

Proof. Define the matrix A(x) := (aij )n×n with aij = x|i−j| .
Note that
X
det A(x) = sgn(σ)a1σ(1) a2σ(2) . . . anσ(n)
σ
Pn Pn
|i−σ(i)| |i−σ(i)|
X X
= x i=1 − x i=1 .
σ∈An σ∈Bn

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

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Thus,
n
!
Pn
′
|i − σ(i)| x( |i−σ(i)|)−1
X X
(det A(x)) = i=1

σ∈An i=1
n
!
Pn
|i − σ(i)| x( |i−σ(i)|)−1
X X
− i=1 .
σ∈Bn i=1

It suffices to prove that (det A(x))′ , when evaluated at x = 1, is

equal to 0, that is, (x − 1)2 | det A(x). Note that the determinant

1 x x2 . . . xn−1
x 1 x . . . xn−2
det A(x) = x2 x 1 . . . xn−3 ,
.. .. .. .. ..
. . . . .
xn−1 xn−2 xn−3 ... 1

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

when subtracting the first row by the second row, we can factor
(x − 1) out from the first row, and when subtracting the first by
the third, another (x − 1) could be factored out. This shows
that (x − 1)2 | det A(x) as desired.

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

Find the number of even permutations of the set {1, 2, . . . , n}

that do not have fixed points.

Proof. Denote the set of all even and odd permutations with
no fixed points by En and On respectively. By using Principle
of Inclusion-Exclusion, it can be easily proved that
1 1 1
 
|En | + |On | = n! 1 − + − . . . + (−1)n .
1! 2! n!
Note that
X X X
|En | − |On | = 1− 1= sgn(σ). (1)
σ∈En σ∈On σ(i)̸=i
σ(i)̸=i σ(i)̸=i

(
0 if i = j,
Next, define the matrix A = (aij )n×n by aij =
1 ̸ j.
if i =

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

By (1), we have that

X X
det A = sgn(σ)a1σ(1) a2σ(2) . . . anσ(n) = sgn(σ) = |En |−|On | .
σ σ(i)̸=i

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

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That is,
0 1 1 ... 1
1 0 1 ... 1
1 1 0 ... 1
|En | − |On | =
.. .. .. .. ..
. . . . .
1 1 1 ... 0
n−1 1 1 ... 1
n−1 0 1 ... 1
n−1 1 0 ... 1
= (C1 → C1 + . . . + Cn )
.. .. .. .. ..
. . . . .
n−1 1 1 ... 0
1 1 1 ... 1
1 0 1 ... 1
1 1 0 ... 1
= (n − 1)
.. .. .. .. ..
. . . . .
1 1 1 ... 0
= (−1)n−1 (n − 1) (Ci → −C1 + Ci for i = 2, 3, . . . , n)

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

Hence,
1 1 1 1
   
|En | = n! 1 − + − . . . + (−1)n + (−1)n−1 (n − 1) .
2 1! 2! n!

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

Let A1 , A2 , . . . , An+1 be distinct subsets of the set {1, 2, . . . , n},

each having exactly three elements. Prove that there exists a
pair of subsets among them that have exactly one common
element.
(
1 if i ∈ Aj ,
Proof. Define the matrix A = (aij )n×n+1 by aij =
0 if i ∈
̸ Aj .
Note that
 Pn 2 Pn Pn 
k=1 ak,1 k=1 ak,1 ak,2 ... k=1 ak,1 ak,n+1
AT · A = 
 .. .. .. .. 
 . . . .


Pn Pn Pn 2
k=1 ak,n+1 ak,1 k=1 ak,n+1 ak,2 ... k=1 ak,n+1
|A1 | |A1 ∩ A2 |
. . . |A1 ∩ An+1 |
 
.. ..
.. ..
= .
 
. . . .
|An+1 ∩ A1 | |An+1 ∩ A2 | . . . |An+1 |2

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

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Assume the contrary that |Ai ∩ Aj | ∈ {0, 2} for every i, j. Next,

we define the matrix X as the matrix whose elements are the
residue classes of the elements of X in Z/2Z. We have

1̂ 0̂ . . . 0̂
0̂ 1̂ . . . 0̂
det AT · A = . . . = 1̂.
.. .. . . ...
0̂ 0̂ . . . 1̂

Thus, det AT ·A is odd T

 which implies that A · A is invertible.
That is, rank AT · A = n + 1. But
 
rank AT · A ≤ rank(A) ≤ n, a contradiction. text

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

Let n be even and let A1 , A2 , . . . , An be distinct subsets of the

set {1, 2, . . . , n}, each of them having an even number of
elements. Prove that among these subsets, there exists a pair
having an even number of common elements.
(
1 if i ∈ Aj ,
Proof. Define the matrix A = (aij )n×n by aij =
0 if i ∈
̸ Aj .
Similar to the previous problem, we have

|A1 |
|A1 ∩ A2 | . . . |A1 ∩ An |
 
T
A ·A =  .. .. .. ..
.
 
. . . .
|An ∩ A1 | |An ∩ A2 | . . . |An |

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

Assume the contrary that |Ai ∩ Aj | is odd for every i and j.

Next, we define the matrix X as the matrix whose elements are
the residue classes of the elements of X in Z/2Z. Thus,

0̂ 1̂ 1̂ . . . 1̂
1̂ 0̂ 1̂ . . . 1̂
T
det A · A = 1̂ 1̂ 0̂ . . . 1̂ = 1̂.
.. .. .. . . ..
. . . . .
1̂ 1̂ 1̂ . . . 0̂

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

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Therefore, det AT · A is odd. Note that

a11 . . . a1,n
det A = ... ..
.
..
.
an,1 . . . an,n
|A1 | . . . |An |
= ... ..
.
..
. (R1 → R1 + R2 + . . . + Rn )
an,1 . . . an,n
= |A1 |C11 + . . . + |An |C1,n .

where Cij denotes the cofactor of the entry aij . Hence,

det AT · A = det2 A is even, that is, det A is even, a
contradiction.

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics

 Problems

The squares of an n × n table are colored white and black.

Suppose that there exists a nonempty set of rows A such that
any column of the table has an even number of white squares
that also belong to A. Prove that there exists a nonempty set of
columns B such that any row of the table contains an even
number of white squares that also belong to B.

Proof. Define the matrix T := (tij )n×n by

(
1 if the square in row i column j is white,
tij =
0 if the square in row i column j is black.

Let the rows in A be a1 , a2 , . . . , ak .

Weerawat Pornruangsup Olympiad Combinatorics