2021 AIME II Problem 13

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 13 of the 2021 AIME II, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2021 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

All of the real AMC 8, AMC 10, AMC 12, and AIME problems in our complete solution collection are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

Concepts:Chinese Remainder Theoremmodular exponentiationmultiplicative order

Difficulty rating: 3160

13.

Find the least positive integer nn for which 2n+5nn2^n + 5^n - n is a multiple of 1000.1000.

Solution:

Work modulo 88 and 125.125. For n3n \ge 3 we have 2n0(mod8),2^n \equiv 0 \pmod 8, so we need n5n(mod8).n \equiv 5^n \pmod 8. If nn is even then 5n1,5^n \equiv 1, forcing the even number nn to be 1(mod8),\equiv 1 \pmod 8, impossible; so nn is odd, 5n5,5^n \equiv 5, and n5(mod8).n \equiv 5 \pmod 8. Also 5n0(mod125)5^n \equiv 0 \pmod{125} for n3,n \ge 3, so we need n2n(mod125).n \equiv 2^n \pmod{125}.

The order of 22 is 44 modulo 5,5, 2020 modulo 25,25, and 100100 modulo 125.125. Since n5(mod8)n \equiv 5 \pmod 8 gives n1(mod4),n \equiv 1 \pmod 4, we get 2n2(mod5),2^n \equiv 2 \pmod 5, so n2(mod5)n \equiv 2 \pmod 5 and hence n17(mod20).n \equiv 17 \pmod{20}. Then 2n217=21027(1)(3)22(mod25),2^n \equiv 2^{17} = 2^{10} \cdot 2^7 \equiv (-1)(3) \equiv 22 \pmod{25}, so n22(mod25),n \equiv 22 \pmod{25}, which with n1(mod4)n \equiv 1 \pmod 4 gives n97(mod100).n \equiv 97 \pmod{100}. Finally 21024,2^{10} \equiv 24, 22076,2^{20} \equiv 76, 24026,2^{40} \equiv 26, 28051(mod125),2^{80} \equiv 51 \pmod{125}, so 2n297=280210275124347(mod125),2^n \equiv 2^{97} = 2^{80} \cdot 2^{10} \cdot 2^7 \equiv 51 \cdot 24 \cdot 3 \equiv 47 \pmod{125}, giving n47(mod125).n \equiv 47 \pmod{125}.

Combining n47(mod125)n \equiv 47 \pmod{125} with n5(mod8)n \equiv 5 \pmod 8 yields n797(mod1000),n \equiv 797 \pmod{1000}, and n=1,2n = 1, 2 fail by direct check, so the least such nn is 797.797.

← Problem 12Full ExamProblem 14

Problem 13 in Other Years