The Devil and the Man play a game. Initially, the Man pays some cash $s$ to the Devil. Then he lists some $97$ triples $\{i,j,k\}$ consisting of positive integers not exceeding $100$. After that, the Devil draws some convex polygon $A_1A_2...A_{100}$ with area $100$ and pays to the Man, the sum of areas of all triangles $A_iA_jA_k$. Determine the maximal value of $s$ which guarantees that the Man receives at least as much cash as he paid. Proposed by Nikolai Beluhov, Bulgaria
Problem
Source: Sharygin geometry olympiad 2016, grade 10, Final Round, Problem 4.
Tags: combinatorics, geometry, area, game, game strategy
20.11.2016 16:42
Any solution?
21.11.2016 10:47
Since the specific area of the hectogon drawn is arbitrary (we can always just scale it), we'll instead consider all areas relative to the total area for convenience. The answer is $0$, that is, the Devil will always be able to generate a sequence of hectogons such that the 'covered' area tends to $0$. Consider the regular hectogon. Accept this to be true, we'll show it later: There is an 'uncovered' triangle formed among $3$ pairs of vertices, some of which may be shared. Say $A_1$,$B_1$,$C_1$,$A_2$,$B_2$,$C_2$ in clockwise order. We can then move $A_1$ and $B_1$, and all vertices in between, within a small $\epsilon$ of each other, and do the same with $C_1$,$A_2$ and $B_2$,$C_2$. The net result is the 'uncovered' triangle taking up the bulk of the area, and all other areas being of negligible size. As $\epsilon$ tends to $0$, the uncovered area tends to $1$. Now to show the lemma, that no $n$ gon can be fully covered by $n-3$ triangles. We'll do it by induction. Note that any triangle comprises at most $2$ edges on the perimeter. If a triangle that comprises exactly $2$ exists, we can easily finish with the induction hypothesis. Otherwise, there exists at least one edge that is not part of the perimeter of a triangle. That edge's midpoint is not contained in any triangle's interior or perimeter, so the $n$-gon is not fully covered.
21.11.2016 22:29
joyce_tan wrote: ...There is an 'uncovered' triangle formed among $3$ pairs of vertices, some of which may be shared. Say $A_1$,$B_1$,$C_1$,$A_2$,$B_2$,$C_2$ in clockwise order. We can then move $A_1$ and $B_1$, and all vertices in between, within a small $\epsilon$ of each other, and do the same with $C_1$,$A_2$ and $B_2$,$C_2$. The net result is the 'uncovered' triangle taking up the bulk of the area... Could you elaborate it, because I don't quite get all of it. I think to carry out that idea you need entire triangle, inside the $100$-gon, any point of it not covered by any other triangle among the given $97$. I think, it's false.
22.11.2016 04:09
Yep, that's what I needed. I showed it in the next 2 paragraphs.
22.11.2016 12:07
joyce_tan wrote: Yep, that's what I needed. I showed it in the next 2 paragraphs. What you had shown is that the $n$-gon couldn't be fully covered, that's, there exists a point inside it not covered by any triangle. What you "need" the way you've proceeded is that there is an entire triangle any point of which not covered by any triangle. The latter is not true. Do you see the difference? In fact your approach can be carried out if you prove that vertices of $100\, (n)$-gon can be partitioned into $3$ sets $A,B,C$, each set consisting of consecutive vertices, such that there is no listed triangle $A_iA_jA_k$ with $A_i\in A, A_j\in B, A_k\in C$. It's true. Btw, the author of the problem is Nikolai Beluhov (Bulgaria).