The vertices of a regular $2005$-gon are colored red, white and blue. Whenever two vertices of different colors stand next to each other, we are allowed to recolor them into the third color. (a) Prove that there exists a finite sequence of allowed recolorings after which all the vertices are of the same color. (b) Is that color uniquely determined by the initial coloring?
Problem
Source: Croatian NMC 2005, 3rd Grade
Tags: combinatorics proposed, combinatorics
29.06.2014 16:46
Is there any solution?
17.09.2016 22:47
Is there any solution?
21.09.2016 18:55
(b) The color is uniquely determined by the initial coloring. Instead of red, white and blue color the vertices $0,1,2$ (respectively) notice that whenever we recolor, the sum of the labels over all vertices remains invariant modulo $3$. since $2005\equiv1(mod 3)$ the initial sum modulo $3$ is the last label.
04.04.2021 01:59
Let $A,B,C$ be the colors. Observe that we can make $BAAB \mapsto BACC \mapsto BBBC$, $CAAB \mapsto CACC \mapsto CBBC \mapsto AAAA$, $BABA \mapsto CCCC, BAAA \mapsto CCAA \mapsto CBBA \mapsto CBCC \mapsto CAAC \mapsto BBBB$, $ABC \mapsto AAA$. The same is valid for cyclic positions. Hence, for any $4$ consecutive vertices, it's possible to turn the first three of them of the same color. Thus, do this operation, until we have many consecutive groups of $3$ consecutive vertices of the same color, and a single vertex $v$ with an unkwown color. Now, observe that we have the operation $AAAB \mapsto AACC \mapsto ABBC \mapsto CCBC \mapsto CAAC \mapsto BBBB$ (the same holds for cyclic positions). Hence, doing this operation many times clockwisely, starting at $v$, it's possible to make all the vertices with the same color as $v$, which completes item $(a)$. For item $(b)$, oberve that if at the beggining we have $x$ vertices of color $A$, $y$ vertices of color $B$ and $z$ vertices of color $C$, $x,y,z$ are not all equal $\pmod{3}$, since $2005 \equiv 1 \pmod{3}$. Assume WLOG $y \equiv z \pmod{3}$. If we make a movement switching $BC \mapsto AA$, the amount of vertices of colors $B$ and $C$ keeps the same $\pmod{3}$. If we make a movement switching $AB \mapsto CC$ , the amount of vertices of colors $B$ and $C$ keeps the same $\pmod{3}$, since $-1 \equiv 2 \pmod{3}$. The same is valid when we make $AC \mapsto BB$. Hence, the amount of vertices of colors $B$ and $C$ will always keep the same $\pmod{3}$. Hence, if at some point, the colors are all equal, it must be of color $A$, so we are done. $\blacksquare$