Maths Olympiad Prep

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, 2016

Number theory Difficulty 2.6 Junior Find the answer Canada

What is the tens digit of the smallest six-digit positive integer that is divisible by each of 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15?

Pick one

Solution

Among the list 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, the integers 11 and 13 are prime.

Also, 10=2×510 = 2 \times 5 and 12=2×2×312 = 2\times 2 \times 3 and 14=2×714 = 2\times 7 and 15=3×515 = 3 \times 5.

For an integer NN to be divisible by each of these six integers, NN must include at least two factors of 2 and one factor each of 3, 5, 7, 11, 13.

Note that 22×3×5×7×11×13=600602^2 \times 3 \times 5 \times 7 \times 11 \times 13 = 60\,060.

(This is the least common multiple of 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.)

To find the smallest six-digit positive integer that is divisible by each of 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, we can find the smallest six-digit positive integer that is a multiple of 6006060\,060.

Note that 1×60060=600601 \times 60\,060 = 60\,060 and that 2×60060=1201202 \times 60\,060 = 120\,120.

Therefore, the smallest six-digit positive integer that is divisible by each of 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 is 120120120\,120.

The tens digit of this number is 2.

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Source: CEMC, University of Waterloo, licensed CC-BY-NC-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.