MathDB
Problems
Contests
Undergraduate contests
Putnam
1958 November Putnam
A4
A4
Part of
1958 November Putnam
Problems
(1)
Putnam 1958 November A4
Source: Putnam 1958 November
7/19/2022
In assigning dormitory rooms, a college gives preference to pairs of students in this order:
A
A
,
A
B
,
A
C
,
B
B
,
B
C
,
A
D
,
C
C
,
B
D
,
C
D
,
D
D
AA,\, AB ,\, AC, \, BB , \, BC ,\, AD , \, CC, \, BD, \, CD, \, DD
AA
,
A
B
,
A
C
,
BB
,
BC
,
A
D
,
CC
,
B
D
,
C
D
,
DD
in which
A
A
AA
AA
means two seniors,
A
B
AB
A
B
means a senior and a junior, etc. Determine numerical values to assign to
A
,
B
,
C
A,B,C
A
,
B
,
C
and
D
D
D
so that the set of numbers
A
+
A
,
A
+
B
,
A
+
C
,
B
+
B
,
…
A+A, A+B, A+C, B+B, \ldots
A
+
A
,
A
+
B
,
A
+
C
,
B
+
B
,
…
corresponding to the order above will be in descending order. Find the general solution and the solution in least positive integers.
Putnam
inequalities
Order