2013 AMC 10A Problem 19

Attempt Problem 19 of the 2013 AMC 10A 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 2013 AMC 10A solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

19.

In base 10,10, the number 20132013 ends in the digit 3.3. In base 9,9, on the other hand, the same number is written as (2676)9(2676)_9 and ends in the digit 6.6. For how many positive integers bb does the base-bb-representation of 20132013 end in the digit 3?3?

66

99

1313

1616

1818

Answer: C
Concepts:number basemodular arithmeticfactor counting
Difficulty rating: 1420
Solution:

Note that the units digit represents the remainder when the number is divided by the base.

The question then boils down to finding all numbers, b,b, such that 20132013 leaves a remainder of 33 when divided by b.b.

This means that bb must divide 2010.2010. Also note that b4,b \geq 4, since otherwise the remainder cannot be 3.3.

The prime factorization of 20102010 is 2010=23567. 2010 = 2 \cdot 3 \cdot 5 \cdot 67. Then, 20102010 has (1+1)4=24=16 (1 + 1)^4 = 2^4 = 16 factors. It has 33 factors less than 4,4, namely 1,2,1, 2, and 3.3. This means there are 163=1316 - 3 = 13 valid values for b.b.

Thus, C is the correct answer.

← Problem 18#18
Full Exam

Problem 19 in Other Years