Problem

Source: USA TST 2005, Problem 1

Tags: geometry, rectangle, combinatorics proposed, combinatorics



Let $n$ be an integer greater than $1$. For a positive integer $m$, let $S_{m}= \{ 1,2,\ldots, mn\}$. Suppose that there exists a $2n$-element set $T$ such that (a) each element of $T$ is an $m$-element subset of $S_{m}$; (b) each pair of elements of $T$ shares at most one common element; and (c) each element of $S_{m}$ is contained in exactly two elements of $T$. Determine the maximum possible value of $m$ in terms of $n$.