Problem

Source: 2010 Peru Iberoamerican TST problem 1

Tags: combinatorics



Let $n$ be a positive integer. We know that the set $I_n = \{ 1, 2,\ldots , n\}$ has exactly $2^n$ subsets, so there are $8^n$ ordered triples $(A, B, C)$, where $A, B$, and $C$ are subsets of $I_n$. For each of these triples we consider the number $\mid A \cap B \cap C\mid$. Prove that the sum of the $8^n$ numbers considered is a multiple of $n$. Clarification: $\mid Y\mid$ denotes the number of elements in the set $Y$.