2021 AIME II Problem 13

Attempt Problem 13 of the 2021 AIME II below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution 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.

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13.

Find the least positive integer nn for which 2n+5n−n2^n + 5^n - n is a multiple of 1000.1000.

Answer: 797
Concepts:Chinese Remainder Theoremmodular exponentiationmultiplicative order
Difficulty rating: 3160
Small Hint:

Split 1000=8⋅125:1000 = 8 \cdot 125: for n≥3n \ge 3 you need n≡5n(mod8)n \equiv 5^n \pmod 8 and n≡2n(mod125)n \equiv 2^n \pmod{125}

Big Hint:

2n mod 1252^n \bmod 125 depends only on n mod 100.n \bmod 100. Force consistency modulo 5,5, then 25,25, to pin down n mod 100,n \bmod 100, and finish with CRT.

Solution:

Work modulo 88 and 125.125. For n≥3n \ge 3 we have 2n≡0(mod8),2^n \equiv 0 \pmod 8, so we need n≡5n(mod8).n \equiv 5^n \pmod 8. If nn is even then 5n≡1,5^n \equiv 1, forcing the even number nn to be ≡1(mod8),\equiv 1 \pmod 8, impossible; so nn is odd, 5n≡5,5^n \equiv 5, and n≡5(mod8).n \equiv 5 \pmod 8. Also 5n≡0(mod125)5^n \equiv 0 \pmod{125} for n≥3,n \ge 3, so we need n≡2n(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 n≡5(mod8)n \equiv 5 \pmod 8 gives n≡1(mod4),n \equiv 1 \pmod 4, we get 2n≡2(mod5),2^n \equiv 2 \pmod 5, so n≡2(mod5)n \equiv 2 \pmod 5 and hence n≡17(mod20).n \equiv 17 \pmod{20}. Then 2n≡217=210⋅272^n \equiv 2^{17} = 2^{10} \cdot 2^7 ≡(−1)(3)≡22(mod25),\equiv (-1)(3) \equiv 22 \pmod{25}, so n≡22(mod25),n \equiv 22 \pmod{25}, which with n≡1(mod4)n \equiv 1 \pmod 4 gives n≡97(mod100).n \equiv 97 \pmod{100}. Finally 210≡24,2^{10} \equiv 24, 220≡76,2^{20} \equiv 76, 240≡26,2^{40} \equiv 26, 280≡51(mod125),2^{80} \equiv 51 \pmod{125}, so 2n≡297=280⋅210⋅27≡51⋅24⋅3≡47(mod125), \begin{aligned} &2^n \equiv 2^{97} = 2^{80} \cdot 2^{10} \cdot 2^7 \\ &\equiv 51 \cdot 24 \cdot 3 \equiv 47 \pmod{125}, \end{aligned} giving n≡47(mod125).n \equiv 47 \pmod{125}.

Combining n≡47(mod125)n \equiv 47 \pmod{125} with n≡5(mod8)n \equiv 5 \pmod 8 yields n≡797(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 12#12
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