Let be a finite sequence of real numbers. For each , from the sequence we construct a new sequence in the following way.
1. We choose a partition , where and are two disjoint sets, such that the expression
attains the smallest value. (We allow or to be empty; in this case the corresponding sum is 0.) If there are several such partitions, one is chosen arbitrarily.
2. We set where if , and if .
Prove that for some , the sequence contains an element such that .
Author: Omid Hatami, Iran
1. We choose a partition , where and are two disjoint sets, such that the expression
attains the smallest value. (We allow or to be empty; in this case the corresponding sum is 0.) If there are several such partitions, one is chosen arbitrarily.
2. We set where if , and if .
Prove that for some , the sequence contains an element such that .
Author: Omid Hatami, Iran