2020 AIME I Problem 10

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Concepts:prime factorizationdivisibilitybounding to limit cases

Difficulty rating: 2990

10.

Let mm and nn be positive integers satisfying the conditions

gcd(m+n,210)=1,\gcd(m + n, 210) = 1,

mmm^m is a multiple of nn,n^n, and

mm is not a multiple of n.n.

Find the least possible value of m+n.m + n.

Solution:

If a prime pp divides n,n, then pnnmm,p \mid n^n \mid m^m, so pmp \mid m and hence pm+n.p \mid m + n. Since gcd(m+n,210)=1,\gcd(m + n, 210) = 1, no prime factor of nn is 2,2, 3,3, 5,5, or 7:7: every prime factor of nn is at least 11.11. Because mm is not a multiple of n,n, some prime pp has b=vp(m)<a=vp(n),b = v_p(m) \lt a = v_p(n), where vpv_p denotes the exponent of p.p. Comparing exponents of pp in nnmmn^n \mid m^m gives bman,bm \ge an, so mabn2n.m \ge \frac{a}{b}n \ge 2n. In particular a2,a \ge 2, so p2np^2 \mid n and n112=121.n \ge 11^2 = 121.

Take n=121n = 121 with p=11,p = 11, a=2,a = 2, b=1:b = 1: then mm is a multiple of 1111 but not of 121,121, and m2121=242.m \ge 2 \cdot 121 = 242. The candidates m=253,264,275m = 253, 264, 275 give m+n=374=21117,m + n = 374 = 2 \cdot 11 \cdot 17, 385=5711,385 = 5 \cdot 7 \cdot 11, 396=223211,396 = 2^2 \cdot 3^2 \cdot 11, all sharing a factor with 210,210, while m=242=2112m = 242 = 2 \cdot 11^2 is a multiple of 121.121. But m=286=21113m = 286 = 2 \cdot 11 \cdot 13 works: v11(mm)=286242=v11(nn),v_{11}(m^m) = 286 \ge 242 = v_{11}(n^n), so nnmm,n^n \mid m^m, and m+n=407=1137m + n = 407 = 11 \cdot 37 is coprime to 210.210.

Any other admissible nn is at least 132=169,13^2 = 169, forcing m+n3n507.m + n \ge 3n \ge 507. Hence the least possible value is 407.407.

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