Maths Olympiad Prep

Library / /801 of 1394

, 2015

Number theory Difficulty 5.3 AIME, harder Prove it United States

Problem:

The fraction 12015\frac{1}{2015} has a unique "(restricted) partial fraction decomposition" of the form
12015=a5+b13+c31 \frac{1}{2015}=\frac{a}{5}+\frac{b}{13}+\frac{c}{31}
where a,b,ca, b, c are integers with 0a<50 \leq a<5 and 0b<130 \leq b<13. Find a+ba+b.

Solution

Solution:

Answer: 14 This is equivalent to 1=1331a+531b+513c1=13 \cdot 31 a+5 \cdot 31 b+5 \cdot 13 c. Taking modulo 55 gives 11331a(mod5)1 \equiv 13 \cdot 31 a \pmod{5}, and since 13313(mod5)13 \cdot 31 \equiv 3 \pmod{5}, we have 13a(mod5)1 \equiv 3a \pmod{5}, so a2(mod5)a \equiv 2 \pmod{5}. Taking modulo 1313 gives 1531b(mod13)1 \equiv 5 \cdot 31 b \pmod{13}, and 531=1551(mod13)5 \cdot 31 = 155 \equiv -1 \pmod{13}, so 1b(mod13)1 \equiv -b \pmod{13}, thus b12(mod13)b \equiv 12 \pmod{13}. The size constraints on a,ba, b give a=2,b=12a=2, b=12, so a+b=14a+b=14.

Want a route through all this instead of an archive? The track puts 2,000 problems in a working order, from AMC 10 level to the IMO shortlist.

Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.