Problem

Source: Bulgaria EGMO 2023 TST, Day 1, Problem 3

Tags: combinatorics, Words, induction



A pair of words consisting only of the letters $a$ and $b$ (with repetitions) is good if it is $(a,b)$ or of one of the forms $(uv, v)$, $(u, uv)$, where $(u,v)$ is a good pair. Prove that if $(\alpha, \beta)$ is a good pair, then there exists a palindrome $\gamma$ such that $\alpha\beta = a\gamma b$.