2024 AIME II Problem 14

Attempt Problem 14 of the 2024 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 2024 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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14.

Let b≥2b \ge 2 be an integer. Call a positive integer nn bb-eautiful if it has exactly two digits when expressed in base bb and these two digits sum to n.\sqrt{n}. For example, 8181 is 1313-eautiful because 81=6‾ 3‾1381 = \underline{6}\,\underline{3}_{13} and 6+3=81.6 + 3 = \sqrt{81}. Find the least integer b≥2b \ge 2 for which there are more than ten bb-eautiful integers.

Answer: 211
Concepts:number basedigitsChinese Remainder Theorem
Difficulty rating: 3270
Small Hint:

Write n=xb+yn = xb + y with digit sum s=x+y=n:s = x + y = \sqrt{n}: then s2−s=x(b−1),s^2 - s = x(b - 1), so b−1b - 1 must divide s(s−1)s(s-1)

Big Hint:

Each s≤b−1s \le b-1 for which s(s−1)s(s-1) is divisible by (b−1)(b-1) gives one n;n; mod b−1b-1 there are 2ω2^{\omega} such residues, where ω\omega counts the distinct primes of b−1b-1

Solution:

A two-digit number in base bb is n=xb+yn = xb + y with 1≤x≤b−11 \le x \le b-1 and 0≤y≤b−1,0 \le y \le b-1, and the condition says n=s2n = s^2 where s=x+y.s = x + y. Then s2=xb+y=x(b−1)+s,s^2 = xb + y = x(b-1) + s, so s(s−1)=x(b−1).s(s - 1) = x(b - 1). Note s≤b2−1<b.s \le \sqrt{b^2 - 1} \lt b. Conversely, for any ss with 2≤s≤b−12 \le s \le b - 1 and s(s−1)s(s-1) divisible by (b−1),(b-1), setting x=s(s−1)b−1x = \frac{s(s-1)}{b-1} and y=s−x=s(b−s)b−1y = s - x = \frac{s(b-s)}{b-1} gives 1≤x≤b−11 \le x \le b-1 and 0≤y≤b−1,0 \le y \le b-1, hence exactly one bb-eautiful integer n=s2.n = s^2. So the count equals the number of s∈{2,…,b−1}s \in \{2, \ldots, b-1\} with s(s−1)≡0(modb−1).s(s-1) \equiv 0 \pmod{b-1}.

Let m=b−1.m = b - 1. Since ss and s−1s - 1 are coprime, each prime power dividing mm must divide ss or s−1,s - 1, so by the Chinese remainder theorem there are 2ω(m)2^{\omega(m)} solutions modulo m,m, where ω(m)\omega(m) is the number of distinct prime factors of m.m. Among the representatives 1,2,…,m,1, 2, \ldots, m, only s=1s = 1 falls outside our range (and s=ms = m qualifies), so the count is 2ω(m)−1.2^{\omega(m)} - 1.

We need 2ω(m)−1>10,2^{\omega(m)} - 1 \gt 10, i.e. ω(m)≥4.\omega(m) \ge 4. The smallest positive integer with four distinct prime factors is 2⋅3⋅5⋅7=210,2 \cdot 3 \cdot 5 \cdot 7 = 210, so the least base is b=211b = 211 (which has 24−1=152^4 - 1 = 15 bb-eautiful integers).

Problem 13#13
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