2017 AIME I Problem 14

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 14 of the 2017 AIME I, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2017 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:logarithmmodular exponentiationEuler’s Totient FunctionChinese Remainder Theorem

Difficulty rating: 3270

14.

Let a>1a \gt 1 and x>1x \gt 1 satisfy loga ⁣(loga ⁣(loga2)+loga24128)=128\log_a\!\left(\log_a\!\left(\log_a 2\right) + \log_a 24 - 128\right) = 128 and loga ⁣(logax)=256.\log_a\!\left(\log_a x\right) = 256. Find the remainder when xx is divided by 1000.1000.

Solution:

Exponentiating the first equation twice: loga(loga2)+loga24128=a128\log_a(\log_a 2) + \log_a 24 - 128 = a^{128} becomes loga(24loga2)=128+a128,\log_a(24 \log_a 2) = 128 + a^{128}, so 24loga2=a128aa128,24 \log_a 2 = a^{128} \cdot a^{a^{128}}, i.e. 224=a(a128aa128).2^{24} = a^{\left(a^{128} \cdot a^{a^{128}}\right)}. Setting t=aa128,t = a^{a^{128}}, the right side is ttt^t and the left side is (23)23,\left(2^3\right)^{2^3}, so by the strict monotonicity of ttt^t we get aa128=8.a^{a^{128}} = 8. Writing c=log2a>0,c = \log_2 a \gt 0, this says c2128c=3,c \cdot 2^{128c} = 3, which is increasing in cc and satisfied by c=364:c = \frac{3}{64}: indeed 36426=3.\frac{3}{64} \cdot 2^6 = 3. So a=23/64.a = 2^{3/64}.

The second equation gives x=aa256.x = a^{a^{256}}. Here a256=22563/64=212=4096,a^{256} = 2^{256 \cdot 3/64} = 2^{12} = 4096, so x=a4096=240963/64=2192.x = a^{4096} = 2^{4096 \cdot 3/64} = 2^{192}.

Clearly 21920(mod8).2^{192} \equiv 0 \pmod{8}. By Euler's theorem 21001(mod125),2^{100} \equiv 1 \pmod{125}, so 219228(mod125),2^{192} \equiv 2^{-8} \pmod{125}, the inverse of 2566.256 \equiv 6. Since 621=1261(mod125),6 \cdot 21 = 126 \equiv 1 \pmod{125}, we get 219221(mod125).2^{192} \equiv 21 \pmod{125}. The unique residue mod 10001000 that is 00 mod 88 and 2121 mod 125125 is 896.896.

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