Problem

Source: Romanian IMO Team Selection Test TST 1996, problem 16

Tags: function, algebra proposed, algebra, pigeonhole principle



Let $ n\geq 3 $ be an integer and let $ \mathcal{S} \subset \{1,2,\ldots, n^3\} $ be a set with $ 3n^2 $ elements. Prove that there exist nine distinct numbers $ a_1,a_2,\ldots,a_9 \in \mathcal{S} $ such that the following system has a solution in nonzero integers: \begin{eqnarray*} a_1x + a_2y +a_3 z &=& 0 \\ a_4x + a_5 y + a_6 z &=& 0 \\ a_7x + a_8y + a_9z &=& 0. \end{eqnarray*} Marius Cavachi