4

Solutions to Introductory Problems

1. [AMC10B 2004] Let 1, 4, . . . and 9, 16, . . . be two arithmetic progres-

sions. The set S is the union of the first 2004 terms of each sequence. How
many distinct numbers are in S?

Solution: The smallest number that appears in both sequences is 16. Since
the least common multiple of 3 and 7 (the two common differences of the
progressions) is 21, numbers appear in both sequences only if they are in
the form 16 + 21k, where k is a nonnegative integer. The largest k such that
7k + 9 ≤ 2004 is k = 285. Hence there are 286 numbers each of which
appears in both progressions. Thus the answer is 4008 − 286 = 3722.

2. [HMMT 2004] Given a sequence of six strictly increasing positive integers

such that each number (besides the first) is a multiple of the one before
it and the sum of all six numbers is 79, what is the largest number in the
sequence?

Solution: Let a1 < a2 < · · · < a6 be the six numbers. If a4 ≥ 12, then
a5 ≥ 2a4 ≥ 24 and a6 ≥ 2a5 ≥ 48, implying that a4 + a5 + a6 ≥ 84, which
violates the conditions of the problem. Hence a4 < 12. Then the only way
we can have the required divisibilities among the first four numbers is if
they are a1 = 1, a2 = 2, a3 = 4, and a4 = 8. We write a5 = ma4 =
8m and a6 = na5 = 8mn for integers m and n with m, n ≥ 2. We get
8m + 8mn = 79 − (1 + 2 + 4 + 8) = 64, or m(1 + n) = 8. This leads to
the unique solution m = 2 and n = 3. Hence the answer is a6 = 48.

3. [AIME 1986] What is the largest positive integer n for which n 3 + 100 is
divisible by n + 10?
92 104 Number Theory Problems

Solution: By division we find that n 3 + 100 = (n + 10)(n 2 − 10n +

100) − 900. Thus, if n + 10 divides n 3 + 100, then it must also divide 900.
Moreover, since n is maximized whenever n + 10 is, and since the largest
divisor of 900 is 900, we must have n + 10 = 900. Therefore, n = 890.

4. Those irreducible fractions!

(1) Let n be an integer greater than 2. Prove that among the fractions
1 2 n−1
, , ..., ,
n n n
an even number of them are irreducible.
(2) Show that the fraction
12n + 1
30n + 2
is irreducible for all positive integers n.

Proof: We prove part (1) via a parity argument, and we establish part (2)
applying the Euclidean algorithm.

(1) The fraction nk is irreducible if and only if the fraction n−k n is irre-
ducible, because gcd(k, n) = gcd(n − k, n).
If the fractions nk and n−k
n are distinct for all k, then pairing up yields
an even number of irreducible fractions.
If nk = n−k
n for some k, then n = 2k and so n = 2k = 2 is reducible
k k 1

and the problem reduces to the previous case.

(2) Note that

gcd(30n + 2, 12n + 1) = gcd(6n, 12n + 1) = gcd(6n, 1) = 1,

from which the desired result follows.

5. A positive integer is written on each face of a cube. Each vertex is then

assigned the product of the numbers written on the three faces intersecting
the vertex. The sum of the numbers assigned to all the vertices is equal to
1001. Find the sum of the numbers written on the faces of the cube.