Irrational

Given any set of 99 irrational numbers, what is the maximum number of them that we can pick, so that the sum of any 2 of these picked numbers is still irrational?

More than 51 48 50 49 51 Less than 48

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1 solution

Áron Bán-Szabó
Jun 12, 2017

We represent the numbers like a vertices of a graph. We link to vertices, if the sum of them is rational.

Suppose there is an odd circle in the graph. Then if the numbers in this circle are a 1 , a 2 , a 2 n + 1 , a_1, a_2, \dots a_{2n+1}, then a 1 + a 2 + + a 2 n + 1 = S a_1+a_2+\dots+a_{2n+1}=S is rational, because ( a 1 + a 2 ) + ( a 2 + a 3 ) + + ( a 2 n + 1 + a 1 ) = 2 S (a_1+a_2)+(a_2+a_3)+\dots+(a_{2n+1}+a_1)=2S is rational. We can get S S in an other way: we add the circle's every second edge and the 2 n + 1 2n+1 . vertex (So S = ( a 1 + a 2 ) + ( a 3 + a 4 ) + + ( a 2 n 1 + a 2 n ) + a 2 n + 1 S=(a_1+a_2)+(a_3+a_4)+\dots+(a_{2n-1}+a_{2n})+a_{2n+1} ). However ( a 1 + a 2 ) , ( a 3 + a 4 ) , , ( a 2 n 1 + a 2 n ) (a_1+a_2), (a_3+a_4), \dots, (a_{2n-1}+a_{2n}) are all rational, so a 2 n + 1 a_{2n+1} have to be rational too, but it is impossible.

So we get an even graph. In one group of vertices there are not less than 99 2 \frac{99}{2} points. So choosing these numbers the sum of in each pair is irrational.

So 50 50 is the minimum? Yes, there is an example:

Let's have the k + 2 , l 2 k+\sqrt{2}, l-\sqrt{2} numbers, where k k and l l are positive integers. If k = l + 1 k=l+1 or k = l 1 , k=l-1, then at this puzzle the maximum is 50.

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