2001 AIME I Problem 8

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Concepts:number basedigitsbounding to limit cases

Difficulty rating: 2430

8.

Call a positive integer NN a 7-10 double if the digits of the base-77 representation of NN form a base-1010 number that is twice N.N. For example, 5151 is a 7-10 double because its base-77 representation is 102.102. What is the largest 7-10 double?

Solution:

Suppose NN has base-77 digits dkd1d0.d_k \ldots d_1 d_0. The condition is di10i=2di7i,\sum d_i \, 10^i = 2 \sum d_i \, 7^i, that is di(10i27i)=0.\sum d_i \,(10^i - 2 \cdot 7^i) = 0. The coefficients 10i27i10^i - 2 \cdot 7^i for i=0,1,2,3i = 0, 1, 2, 3 are 1,-1, 4,-4, 2,2, 314.314. If there were a digit d31,d_3 \ge 1, the positive contribution would be at least 314,314, but the negative terms total at most 46+6=30.4 \cdot 6 + 6 = 30. So NN has at most three base-77 digits.

For three digits the condition reads 2d2=4d1+d0.2 d_2 = 4 d_1 + d_0. To maximize N=49d2+7d1+d0,N = 49 d_2 + 7 d_1 + d_0, take d2=6,d_2 = 6, so 4d1+d0=12;4 d_1 + d_0 = 12; the largest value of 7d1+d07 d_1 + d_0 comes from d1=3,d_1 = 3, d0=0.d_0 = 0.

Thus N=496+73=315,N = 49 \cdot 6 + 7 \cdot 3 = 315, whose base-77 representation is 630=2315.630 = 2 \cdot 315.

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