English

A combinatorial solution to LIMO 2010 question 10

Combinatorics 2010-06-24 v1

Abstract

Problem 10 of the Landelijke Interuniversitaire Mathematische Olympiade 2010 asks for a proof that all matrices in a certain family are nilpotent. Both model solutions prove this using the Cayley-Hamilton theorem. I give a purely combinatorial proof.

Cite

@article{arxiv.1006.4473,
  title  = {A combinatorial solution to LIMO 2010 question 10},
  author = {Stijn Vermeeren},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1006.4473},
  year   = {2010}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-21T15:39:51.639Z