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Combinatorics Difficulty 6.9 National Olympiad Prove it JBMO

Problem:
Let SnS_{n} be the sum of reciprocal values of non-zero digits of all positive integers up to (and including) nn. For instance, S13=11+12+13+14+15+16+17+18+19+11+11+11+11+12+11+13S_{13} = \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{5} + \frac{1}{6} + \frac{1}{7} + \frac{1}{8} + \frac{1}{9} + \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{3}.
Find the least positive integer kk making the number k!S2016k! \cdot S_{2016} an integer.

Solution

Solution:
We will first calculate S999S_{999}, then S1999S999S_{1999} - S_{999}, and then S2016S1999S_{2016} - S_{1999}.

Writing the integers from 11 to 999999 as 001001 to 999999, adding eventually also 000000 (since 00 digits actually do not matter), each digit appears exactly 100100 times in each position (as unit, ten, or hundred). Hence
S999=300(11+12++19) S_{999} = 300 \cdot \left( \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{2} + \cdots + \frac{1}{9} \right)
For the numbers in the interval 100019991000 \rightarrow 1999, compared to 09990 \rightarrow 999, there are precisely 10001000 more digits 11. We get
S1999S999=1000+S999S1999=1000+600(11+12++19) S_{1999} - S_{999} = 1000 + S_{999} \Longrightarrow S_{1999} = 1000 + 600 \cdot \left( \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{2} + \cdots + \frac{1}{9} \right)
Finally, in the interval 200020162000 \rightarrow 2016, the digit 11 appears 99 times as unit and 1919 times as a ten, the digit 22 twice as a unit and 1717 times as a thousand, the digits 3,4,53, 4, 5, and 66 each appear exactly twice as units, and the digits 7,8,97, 8, 9 each appear exactly once as a unit. Hence
S2016S1999=91+1912+2(13+14+15+16)+1(17+18+19) S_{2016} - S_{1999} = 9 \cdot 1 + 19 \cdot \frac{1}{2} + 2 \cdot \left( \frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{5} + \frac{1}{6} \right) + 1 \cdot \left( \frac{1}{7} + \frac{1}{8} + \frac{1}{9} \right)
In the end, we get
S2016=16091+61912+602(13+14+15+16)+601(17+18+19)=m+12+23+24+25+26+67+18+79=n+p233257 \begin{aligned} S_{2016} &= 1609 \cdot 1 + 619 \cdot \frac{1}{2} + 602 \cdot \left( \frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{5} + \frac{1}{6} \right) + 601 \cdot \left( \frac{1}{7} + \frac{1}{8} + \frac{1}{9} \right) \\ &= m + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{2}{3} + \frac{2}{4} + \frac{2}{5} + \frac{2}{6} + \frac{6}{7} + \frac{1}{8} + \frac{7}{9} = n + \frac{p}{2^{3} \cdot 3^{2} \cdot 5 \cdot 7} \end{aligned}
where m,nm, n, and pp are positive integers, pp coprime to 2332572^{3} \cdot 3^{2} \cdot 5 \cdot 7. Then k!S2016k! \cdot S_{2016} is an integer precisely when k!k! is a multiple of 2332572^{3} \cdot 3^{2} \cdot 5 \cdot 7. Since 7k!7 \mid k!, it follows that k7k \geq 7. Also, 7!=2432577! = 2^{4} \cdot 3^{2} \cdot 5 \cdot 7, implying that the least kk satisfying k!S2016Zk! \cdot S_{2016} \in \mathbb{Z} is k=7k = 7.

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