1997 AIME Problem 3

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 3 of the 1997 AIME, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1997 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:place valueDiophantine Equationdivisibility

Difficulty rating: 2110

3.

Sarah intended to multiply a two-digit number and a three-digit number, but she left out the multiplication sign and simply placed the two-digit number to the left of the three-digit number, thereby forming a five-digit number. This number is exactly nine times the product Sarah should have obtained. What is the sum of the two-digit number and the three-digit number?

Solution:

Let aa be the two-digit number and bb the three-digit number. The condition is 1000a+b=9ab,1000a + b = 9ab, which rearranges to b(9a1)=1000a.b(9a - 1) = 1000a. Since gcd(9a1,a)=1,\gcd(9a - 1, a) = 1, the number 9a19a - 1 must divide 1000.1000.

For a two-digit a,a, 9a19a - 1 runs from 8989 to 890,890, and 9a18(mod9).9a - 1 \equiv 8 \pmod 9. The only divisor of 10001000 in that range congruent to 88 modulo 99 is 125,125, giving a=14a = 14 and b=100014125=112,b = \frac{1000 \cdot 14}{125} = 112, which is indeed a three-digit number. Check: 14112=914112.14112 = 9 \cdot 14 \cdot 112.

The requested sum is 14+112=126.14 + 112 = 126.

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