Problem

Source: 2023 Mathematics Regional Olympiad of Mexico West P2

Tags: combinatorics, combinatorial geometry



We have $n$ guinea pigs placed on the vertices of a regular polygon with $n$ sides inscribed in a circumference, one guinea pig in each vertex. Each guinea pig has a direction assigned, such direction is either "clockwise" or "anti-clockwise", and a velocity between $1 km/h$, $2km/h$,..., and $n km/h$, each one with a distinct velocity, and each guinea pig has a counter starting from $0$. They start moving along the circumference with the assigned direction and velocity, everyone at the same time, when 2 or more guinea pigs meet a point, all of the guinea pigs at that point follow the same direction of the fastest guinea pig and they keep moving (with the same velocity as before); each time 2 guinea pigs meet for the first time in the same point, the fastest guinea pig adds 1 to its counter. Prove that, at some moment, for each $1\leq i\leq n$ we have that the $i-$th guinea pig has $i-1$ in its counter.