show/hide this revision's text 3 Fixed typo.

I'll expand slightly on Dan's suggestion.

Any such pair of sequences $(\{a_{i}\}, \{b_{j}\})$ can be obtained from the pair of sequences $(\{i\}, \{n+j\})$ {2n+1-j\})$ by finitely many iterations of the following operation.

For some $i$ and some $j$ with $a_{i} = k, b_{j} = k+1$, set $a_{i} = k+1, b_{j} = k$.

Now just check that the claim holds for the pair of sequences $(\{i\}, \{n+j\})$, {2n+1-j\})$, and that the operation I described leaves the sum invariant.

show/hide this revision's text 2 Fixed TeX.

I'll expand slightly on Dan's suggestion.

Any such pair of sequences $({a_{i}}, {b_{j}})$ (\{a_{i}\}, \{b_{j}\})$ can be obtained from the pair of sequences $a_{i} = i, b_{j} = n+j$ (\{i\}, \{n+j\})$ by finitely many iterations of the following operation.

For some $i$ and some $j$ with $a_{i} = k, b_{j} = k+1$, set $a_{i} = k+1, b_{j} = k$.

Now just check that the claim holds for the pair of sequences $a_{i} = i, b_{j} = n+j$, (\{i\}, \{n+j\})$, and that the operation I described leaves the sum invariant.

I guess I failed to use the pigeonhole principle, but this is the approach that makes the most sense to me.

show/hide this revision's text 1

I'll expand slightly on Dan's suggestion.

Any such pair of sequences $({a_{i}}, {b_{j}})$ can be obtained from the pair of sequences $a_{i} = i, b_{j} = n+j$ by finitely many iterations of the following operation.

For some $i$ and some $j$ with $a_{i} = k, b_{j} = k+1$, set $a_{i} = k+1, b_{j} = k$.

Now just check that the claim holds for the pair of sequences $a_{i} = i, b_{j} = n+j$, and that the operation I described leaves the sum invariant.

I guess I failed to use the pigeonhole principle, but this is the approach that makes the most sense to me.