olymmath

Putnam 2011 A6

  • Session A

Let GG be an abelian group with nn elements, and let {g1=e,g2,…,gk}⫋G\{g_1=e,g_2,\dots,g_k\} \subsetneqq G be a (not necessarily minimal) set of distinct generators of GG. A special die, which randomly selects one of the elements g1,g2,...,gkg_1,g_2,...,g_k with equal probability, is rolled mm times and the selected elements are multiplied to produce an element g∈Gg \in G. Prove that there exists a real number b∈(0,1)b \in (0,1) such that

lim⁡m→∞1b2m∑x∈G(Prob(g=x)−1n)2\lim_{m\to\infty} \frac{1}{b^{2m}} \sum_{x\in G} \left(\mathrm{Prob}(g=x) - \frac{1}{n}\right)^2 is positive and finite.

Curated text Kedlaya Putnam archive. Quoted with source.

Solutions

Human solution Solution 1 by Kiran Kedlaya and Lenny Ng

The terms of the source let olymmath link to this solution but not copy it. Read the solution (Kedlaya Putnam archive).

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