Maths Olympiad Prep

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Number theory Difficulty 5.7 AIME, harder Prove it Estonia

Juku multiplied four consecutive positive integers and divided the result by four. Find all the possibilities for the digit in which this quotient can end.

Solutions — 2

Solution 1

Among 4 consecutive integers there always exist two even numbers, one of which is also divisible by 4. Thus the quotient is even, excluding all odd final digits.
If the final digit of the quotient upon division by 4 is 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8, then the
final digit of the dividend is 0, 8, 6, 4 or 2, respectively.

* If the four consecutive integers have final digits 1, 2, 3 and 4, then the final digit of their product is 4.
* If the four consecutive integers have final digits 6, 7, 8 and 9, then the final digit of their product is 4.
* In all other cases one of the four integers is divisible by 5. Since the product is even, its final digit can only be 0.

So the product can have a final digit of 4 or 0. Upon division by 4, the final digit of the quotient is 6 or 0, respectively.

Solution 2

Among 4 consecutive integers there always exist two even numbers, one of which is also divisible by 4. Thus the product is divisible by 8. We consider two cases.

* If one of the factors is divisible by 5, then the product is also divisible by 5, and thus also by 40. Therefore the quotient upon division by 4 is divisible by 10 and thus ends with a 0.

* If none of the factors are divisible by 5, then they are of the form 5n+1,5n+2,5n+35n + 1, 5n + 2, 5n + 3 and 5n+45n + 4. The expression (5n+1)(5n+2)(5n+3)(5n+4)(5n + 1)(5n + 2)(5n + 3)(5n + 4) can be written as 5m+12345m + 1 \cdot 2 \cdot 3 \cdot 4 for an integer mm. As the product of the four numbers and the term 12341 \cdot 2 \cdot 3 \cdot 4 are divisible by 8, then so must also be 5m5m and thus also mm. Therefore the product is of the form 40k+2440k + 24, which yields 10k+610k + 6 upon division by 4. This number ends with a 6.

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