MathDB
NOT-AP triple

Source: 2017 China TST 5 P1

April 8, 2017
combinatorics

Problem Statement

Given n3n\ge 3. consider a sequence a1,a2,...,ana_1,a_2,...,a_n, if (ai,aj,ak)(a_i,a_j,a_k) with i+k=2j (iai+ak2aja_i+a_k\ne 2a_j, we call such a triple a NOTAPNOT-AP triple. If a sequence has at least one NOTAPNOT-AP triple, find the least possible number of the NOTAPNOT-AP triple it contains.