IMO 1970 · Problem 2

Let \(a,b\) and \(n\) be integers greater than 1, and let \(a\) and \(b\) be the bases of two number systems. \(A_{n-1}\) and \(A_n\) are numbers in the system with base \(a\), and \(B_{n-1}\) and \(B_n\) are numbers in the system with base \(b\); these are related as follows:

\[ \begin{aligned} A_n&=x_nx_{n-1}\cdots x_0,\quad A_{n-1}=x_{n-1}x_{n-2}\cdots x_0,\\ B_n&=x_nx_{n-1}\cdots x_0,\quad B_{n-1}=x_{n-1}x_{n-2}\cdots x_0,\\ x_n&\ne 0,\quad x_{n-1}\ne 0. \end{aligned} \]

Prove: \[ \frac{A_{n-1}}{A_n}<\frac{B_{n-1}}{B_n} \quad\text{if and only if }a>b. \]

Official text of the problem. Official problem paper (PDF)

Solution

The common digits satisfy \(0\le x_i<\min(a,b)\), with \(x_n>0\) and \(x_{n-1}>0\). For \(t>0\), define \[ S(t)=\sum_{i=0}^{n-1}\frac{x_i}{t^{\,n-i}}. \] This function is positive and strictly decreasing. Indeed, if \(s>t>0\), then \[ \frac{x_i}{s^{\,n-i}}\le \frac{x_i}{t^{\,n-i}} \qquad(0\le i\le n-1), \] and the inequality is strict for \(i=n-1\), because \(x_{n-1}>0\). Summing gives \(S(s)<S(t)\).

By the meaning of positional notation, \[ A_{n-1}=\sum_{i=0}^{n-1}x_i a^i=a^nS(a), \qquad A_n=x_na^n+A_{n-1}=a^n\bigl(x_n+S(a)\bigr). \] The corresponding identities hold in base \(b\). Hence \[ \frac{A_{n-1}}{A_n}=\frac{S(a)}{x_n+S(a)}, \qquad \frac{B_{n-1}}{B_n}=\frac{S(b)}{x_n+S(b)}. \] All denominators are positive, so cross-multiplication yields \[ \frac{A_{n-1}}{A_n}<\frac{B_{n-1}}{B_n} \iff x_nS(a)<x_nS(b) \iff S(a)<S(b). \] Since \(S\) is strictly decreasing, the last inequality holds exactly when \(a>b\): if \(a=b\), the values are equal, and if \(a<b\), the inequality is reversed. This proves the assertion.

The solution was checked against John Scholes' IMO solution archive (Kalva).