2016 AMC 12B Problem 24

Attempt Problem 24 of the 2016 AMC 12B 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 2016 AMC 12B solutions, or check the answer key.

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24.

There are exactly 77,00077{,}000 ordered quadruples (a,b,c,d)(a,b,c,d) such that gcd⁡(a,b,c,d)=77\gcd(a,b,c,d)=77 and lcm(a,b,c,d)=n.\text{lcm}(a,b,c,d)=n. What is the smallest possible value of n?n?
13,86013{,}860
20,79020{,}790
21,56021{,}560
27,72027{,}720
41,58041{,}580
Answer: D
Concepts:greatest common divisorleast common multipleprime factorization
Small hint:
Divide everything by 77.77. With m=n77,m=\frac{n}{77}, you need reduced quadruples of gcd 11 and lcm m,m, analyzed one prime at a time
Big hint:
For a prime with maximum exponent M,M, the count of exponent quadruples is 2(6M2+1).2(6M^2+1). Use the factorization of 7700077000 to determine how many primes divide mm and which values of MM can occur
Solution:
Writing each entry as 7777 times a reduced value, we need gcd⁡=1\gcd=1 and lcm=m=n77.\text{lcm}=m=\frac{n}{77}. For each prime pp dividing mm with maximum exponent M,M, the number of valid exponent quadruples is (M+1)4−2M4(M+1)^4-2M^4 +(M−1)4+(M-1)^4 =2(6M2+1).=2(6M^2+1). The total over all primes must equal 77,000=23⋅53⋅7⋅11.77{,}000=2^3\cdot5^3\cdot7\cdot11. Since 2(6M2+1)2(6M^2+1) equals 14,14, 50,50, and 110110 for M=1,2,3,M=1,2,3, and 14⋅50⋅110=77,000,14\cdot50\cdot110=77{,}000, the exponents 1,2,31,2,3 give one candidate factorization.
Every prime contributes exactly one factor of 2,2, so exactly three primes divide m.m. Their odd factors 6M2+16M^2+1 must divide 77,00023=9625.\frac{77{,}000}{2^3}=9625. Checking the divisors gives M=1,2,3,8,M=1,2,3,8, with odd factors 7,25,55,385.7,25,55,385. The choice M=8M=8 leaves only 2525 for the product of the other two odd factors, but each is at least 7,7, so this is impossible. Therefore the maximum exponents are exactly 1,2,3.1,2,3. To minimize m=n77,m=\frac{n}{77}, assign the largest exponent to the smallest prime: m=23⋅32⋅5=360,m=2^3\cdot3^2\cdot5=360, so n=77⋅360=27,720.n=77\cdot360=27{,}720.
Thus, the correct answer is D.
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