Problem

Source: MOP 2006 Homework - Black Group

Tags: combinatorics unsolved, combinatorics



Let m be a positive integer, and let $S=\{a_1=1, a_2, ..., a_m\}$ be a set of positive integers. Prove that there exists a positive integer $n$ with $n\le m$ and a set $T={b_1, b_2, ..., b_n}$ of positive integers such that (a) all the subsets of $T$ have distinct sums of elements; (b) each of the numbers $a_1$, $a_2$, ..., $a_m$ is the sum of the elements of a subset of $T$.