TITLE: Size of Terms in "Solid" Sequences
QUESTION [7 upvotes]: Call a finite sequence $\{a_1,a_2,..,a_n\}\in \mathbb{N}_{≥1}$ solid if, for all contiguous subsequences $S=\{a_i,a_{i+1},\dots,a_{i+j}\}$, there does not exist an adjacent contiguous subsequence 
$S'=\{a_{(i+j)+1},a_{(i+j)+2},\dots,a_{(i+j)+k}\}$
such that $$\sum_{a\in S}a=\sum_{b\in S'}b$$ For example, the sequences $\{1,3,2,3,4,2,4\}$ and $\{1,3,2,3,1,3,2,8\}$ are solid. However, $\{1,2,1,3,2\}$ and $\{1,3,2,3,5\}$ are not. Here is what I am trying to show...
Claim: If for some solid sequence $\{a_1,a_2,..,a_n\}$ we have $n\geq2^m$ for some positive integer $m$, then there exits $i\leq n$ such that $a_i\geq2^{m-1}$
This feels like it should have a neat inductive proof. The base case is clear (as any four term sequence must include a $3$). I just can't seem to see the trick for the induction (though it is possible that the proof may not even involve the technique at all). So, first of all, is this claim correct? And, if so, what's the proof? Can a stronger lower bound than $2^{m-1}$ be demonstrated? If the claim is not correct, what bounds can we put on the greatest term of a solid sequence of length $n$?
Update:It seems like a bound of $2^{m-1}$ is indeed quite weak. What better (possibly asymptotic) bound could be proved?

REPLY [3 votes]: Let 
$$
G_n:=\max\{length(S), \ \text{such that $S$ is a solid sequence and } S\subset\{1,\dots,n\}\}.
$$
Then one has $G_1=1$, $G_2=3$, $G_3=7$.
Your claim is that $G_{2^{m-1}-1}<2^m$. This is false. The example below shows that 
$$
G_{F_n}\ge 2^{n-1}-1,\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad (Ex) 
$$ 
where $F_n$ is the $n$th term in the Fibonacci sequence. In particular,
for $m=5$, we have $15=2^{m-1}-1>F_7=13$, and so 
$$
G_{15}=G_{2^{m-1}-1}\ge G_{F_7}\ge 2^{6}-1>2^m=32.
$$
In particular, the solid sequence of length $63$ with no term higher than $15$ is
$$
(1,13,8,13,5,13,8,13,3,13,8,13,5,13,8,13,2,13,8,13,5,13,8,13,3,13,8,13,5,13,8,13,
$$
$$
1,13,8,13,5,13,8,13,3,13,8,13,5,13,8,13,2,13,8,13,5,13,8,13,3,13,8,13,5,13,8),
$$
Note that $(Ex)$ provides a lower bound (as will do any family of examples), instead of the desired upper bound.
I suspect that this lower bound is also an asymptotic upper bound, but I have no proof.
$\bf{The\ Example}:$
For each $n\ge 1$ we will provide inductively an example of a sequence $S^{(n)}$ with $length(S^{(n)})=2^{n}$, such that 
$(S^{(n)}_1,\dots,S^{(n)}_{2^n-1})$ is a solid sequence, and such that $S^{(n)}\subset\{1,\dots,F_{n+1}\}$.
First terms:
For $n=1$ clearly $S^{(1)}=(1,1)$ satisfies the hypothesis.
For $n=2$ the sequence is $S^{(2)}=(1,2,1,2)$.
For $n=3$ we have $S^{(3)}=(1,3,2,3,1,3,2,3)$ and 
for $n=4$ we have $S^{(4)}=(1,5,3,5,2,5,3,5,1,5,3,5,2,5,3,5)$.
The inductive construction is the following:
We set 
$$
S^{(n)}_{2k}:=F_{n+1}\quad\text{and}\quad S^{(n)}_{2k-1}:=S^{(n-1)}_{k}\quad\text{for $k=1,\dots, 2^{n-1}$}.
$$
Now we prove inductively that $(S^{(n)}_1,\dots,S^{(n)}_{2^n-1})$ is a solid sequence.
For this we prove a little more:
(1.) For each $S=S^{(n)}$ and any two consecutive sets $A,B\subset S^{(n)}$, if $\#A>\#B$, then $\sum_{i\in A}S_i> \sum_{i\in B}S_i$.
(2.) For each $S=S^{(n)}$ and any two consecutive sets $A,B\subset S^{(n)}$, if $\#A=\#B+1$, then $\sum_{i\in A}S_i- \sum_{i\in B}S_i<F_{n+2}$.
(3.) For each $S=S^{(n)}$ and any two consecutive sets $A,B\subset S^{(n)}$, if $\#A=\#B$, then $|\sum_{i\in A}S_i- \sum_{i\in B}S_i|<F_{n+1}$.
(4.) For each $S=S^{(n)}$ and any two consecutive sets $A,B\subset S^{(n)}$, if $\#A=\#B$, then $\sum_{i\in A}S_i\ne \sum_{i\in B}S_i$, except when 
$\#A=\#B=2^{n-1}$ (and so $A\cup B=S^{(n)}$). 
Here we consider at the same time the two cases in which $A$ lies above $B$ and viceversa.
For $n=1,2,3$ one can verify (1.)--(4.) by hand.
Assume (1.), (2.), (3.), (4.)  are true for $n-1$. 
We first prove (3.) and (4.).
If $\#A=\#B =2k$, then (3.) and (4.) are clear form the inductive hypothesis, since both sets have the same number of $F_{n+1}$'s. Once you remove them, 
by inductive hypothesis the sums satisfy the required conditions (one has to be careful with the case $A\cup B= S^{(n)}$).
If $\#A=\#B =2k-1$, then one of them has one term more with value $F_{n+1}$, and the other has one term more of $S^{(n-1)}$.
Assume $A$ has one term more with value $F_{n+1}$ and write $A_{n-1}$ and $B_{n-1}$ for the sets $A$ and $B$ with all the terms $F_{n+1}$ removed. 
Then
$$
0<\sum_{i\in A}S^{(n)}_i-\sum_{i\in B}S^{(n)}_i=F_{n+1}-(\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i)<F_{n+1},
$$
which proves (3.) and (4.) in this case.
In fact, the equality is clear, and the last inequality follows from the inductive hypothesis item (1.), since $\#A_{n-1}<\#B_{n-1}$. The first inequality follows from the inductive hypothesis item (2.), since $\#B_{n-1}=\#A_{n-1}+1$, and so 
$$
\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i<F_{(n-1)+2}=F_{n+1}.
$$
Now we prove (1.). 
Assume $\#A>\#B$ and define $A_{n-1}$ and $B_{n-1}$ as before. Then 
$$
\sum_{i\in A}S_i-\sum_{i\in B}S_i=F_{n+1}(\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }A\}-\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }B\})+ \sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i
$$
and there are two cases:
a) $\#A_{n-1}>\# B_{n-1}$ and $\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }A\}$ is greater than or equal to $\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }B\}$. In this case clearly 
$\sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i>0$ by inductive hypothesis item (1.) and so item (1.) for $n$ follows directly.
b) $\#A_{n-1}=\# B_{n-1}$ and $\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }A\}$ is greater than $\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }B\}$. In this case, if 
$\sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i>0$, then item (1.) for $n$ follows directly.
Else $0<\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i<F_n$ by inductive hypothesis item (3.), and so
$$
\sum_{i\in A}S_i-\sum_{i\in B}S_i\ge F_{n+1}-\left( \sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i\right)>F_{n+1}-F_n>0.
$$
Finally we prove (2.).
Assume $\#A=\#B+1$ and define $A_{n-1}$ and $B_{n-1}$ as before. Then 
$$
\sum_{i\in A}S_i-\sum_{i\in B}S_i=F_{n+1}(\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }A\}-\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }B\})+ \sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i
$$
and there are two cases:
a) $\#A_{n-1}>\# B_{n-1}$ and $\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }A\}$ is equal to $\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }B\}$. In this case clearly 
$\sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i<F_{n+1}<F_{n+2}$ by inductive hypothesis item (2.) and so item (2.) for $n$ follows directly.
b) $\#A_{n-1}=\# B_{n-1}$ and $\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }A\}$ is $\#\{F_{n+1}\ \text{ in }B\}$ plus one. In this case, 
by inductive hypothesis item (3.) we have 
$$
\sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i< F_n
$$
and so 
$$
\sum_{i\in A}S_i-\sum_{i\in B}S_i = F_{n+1}+\left( \sum_{i\in A_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i-\sum_{i\in B_{n-1}}S^{(n-1)}_i\right)<F_{n+1}+F_n=F_{n+2},
$$
as desired.
Clearly $(1.)$ and $(4.)$ together imply that $(S^{(n)}_1,\dots,S^{(n)}_{2^n-1})$ is a solid sequence.