Problem:
Find all three-digit natural numbers that are equal to the number formed by the last three digits of .
Solutions — 2
Solution 1
Solution:
The required numbers are and .
The square of has the same last three digits as if and only if is divisible by . Since and are coprime, only one of the two is even and only one of the two can be divisible by . Therefore we have the following possibilities:
- is divisible both by and by , hence is divisible by : no three-digit number has this property;
- is divisible both by and by , hence is divisible by : no three-digit number has this property;
- is divisible by and is divisible by ; the only three-digit number with these properties is , (a direct check indeed gives );
- is divisible by and is divisible by ; the only three-digit number with these properties is , (a direct check indeed gives ).
Solution 2
Solution:
Let us represent as , where are its decimal digits. We must obtain . Observe that, in general, the last digit of depends only on the last digit of , just as the last two digits of depend only on the last two digits of .
By direct verification, the units digit can only be .
If , then is divisible by , so is divisible by and hence also . But then is divisible by , is divisible by and hence also , which is not allowed.
If , since , we must have , that is , or , which is impossible. If , since , we obtain as above , that is , which is not allowed.
If , since , we must have . Similarly, from we obtain . Indeed, and hence is a solution.
If , since , we must have , which is impossible, or , that is . Finally, from , we obtain , which is impossible, or , that is . Indeed, and hence is a solution.