IMO 1971 · Problem 5

Prove that for every natural number \(m\), there exists a finite set \(S\) of points in a plane with the following property: For every point \(A\) in \(S\), there are exactly \(m\) points in \(S\) which are at unit distance from \(A\).

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

Solution

We prove the assertion by induction, including \(m=0\). For \(m=0\), a set consisting of one point suffices.

Suppose that a finite nonempty set \(S\) has exactly \(m\) points at unit distance from each of its points. We shall construct a suitable set for \(m+1\) by adjoining a translated copy of \(S\).

Identify the plane with \(\mathbb R^2\), and let \[ D=\{p-q:p,q\in S,\ p\ne q\}. \] We claim that there is a unit vector \(u\) such that, for every \(d\in D\), \[ u\ne d \qquad\text{and}\qquad \|u-d\|\ne1. \] Indeed, for each fixed nonzero \(d\), the first condition excludes at most one point of the unit circle. On that circle, the equality \(\|u-d\|=1\) is equivalent to \[ 1-2u\cdot d+\|d\|^2=1, \qquad\text{or}\qquad u\cdot d=\frac{\|d\|^2}{2}. \] Since \(d\ne0\), this is the equation of a line, which meets the unit circle in at most two points. Thus each \(d\) excludes at most three choices of \(u\). Because \(D\) is finite and the unit circle has infinitely many points, the required \(u\) exists.

Now set \[ T=S\cup(S+u), \qquad S+u=\{p+u:p\in S\}. \] The two copies are disjoint: an equality \(p=q+u\) would imply \(u=p-q\), which is impossible when \(p=q\) because \(\|u\|=1\), and is excluded by our choice of \(u\) when \(p\ne q\).

Translation preserves distances, so every point has exactly \(m\) unit-distance neighbours within its own copy. Between the two copies, \(p\) and \(p+u\) are at unit distance. Moreover, if \(p,q\in S\) are distinct, then \[ \|p-(q+u)\|=\|u-(p-q)\|\ne1. \] Hence the only unit-distance pairs between the copies are the corresponding pairs \(p,p+u\). Every point of \(T\) therefore has exactly \(m+1\) unit-distance neighbours.

The finite set \(T\) completes the induction, proving the assertion for every natural number \(m\).

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