Problem

Source: Romania TST 2024 Day 1 P2

Tags: algebra, inequalities



Let $n\geqslant 2$ be a fixed integer. Consider $n$ real numbers $a_1,a_2,\ldots,a_n$ not all equal and let\[d:=\max_{1\leqslant i<j\leqslant n}|a_i-a_j|;\qquad s=\sum_{1\leqslant i<j\leqslant n}|a_i-a_j|.\]Determine in terms of $n{}$ the smalest and largest values the quotient $s/d$ may achieve. Selected from the Kvant Magazine