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International Mathematical Olympiad 1997 — Official contest Question 4

IMO · International Mathematical Olympiad 1997 — Official contest

Question 4

An $n \times n$ matrix whose entries come from the set $S = \{1, 2, \dots , 2n - 1\}$ is called a *silver* matrix if, for each $i = 1, 2, \dots , n$, the $i$-th row and the $i$-th column together contain all elements of $S$. Show that:

(a) there is no silver matrix for $n = 1997$;

(b) silver matrices exist for infinitely many values of $n$.