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It looks to me that this is Pigeonhole related question but can't come up with the proof. I tried this: Group numbers in pairs such that sum of pairs equals to 2n - 1. If 2n - 1 is selected then by Pigeonhole principle there will be a pair that is selected too. But what if 2n -1 is not selected?

RBob
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1 Answers1

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I think that you can extend the argument you made a little bit. You showed that the condition is satisfied if $2n - 1$ is selected. What if the biggest number selected is $2n - 2$? Now we have can divide the rest of the numbers into pairs that add $2n - 2$ (note that $n - 1$ is alone, but there are still $n - 2$ groups and we have to select more than one number from some group). This argument can continue if $2n - 3$ is the greatest, $2n - 4$ is the greatest, and so on. Hope this helps!

dannnny
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  • There are $n$ odd numbers, selecting them all will force you to select an even number that is their difference. Selecting all even numbers forces it ( only $n-1$ of those) . And a few more cases ... – Roddy MacPhee Jun 10 '21 at 23:13