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Number theory Difficulty 3.7 AMC 10/12 Find the answer United States

What is the remainder when 72024+72025+720267^{2024} + 7^{2025} + 7^{2026} is divided by 19?

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Solution

The quantity in question is seen to be a multiple of 19 as follows:
72024+72025+72026=72024(1+7+72)=7202457=72024319. 7^{2024} + 7^{2025} + 7^{2026} = 7^{2024} (1 + 7 + 7^2) = 7^{2024} \cdot 57 = 7^{2024} \cdot 3 \cdot 19.
Therefore the remainder when it is divided by 19 is 0.

Working modulo 19, 70=17^0 = 1, 71=71=77^1 = 7 \cdot 1 = 7, 72=77=49117^2 = 7 \cdot 7 = 49 \equiv 11, and 73711=7717^3 \equiv 7 \cdot 11 = 77 \equiv 1.
Therefore the remainders when dividing successive nonegative powers of 7 by 19 repeat with period 3.
The sum of any three consecutive remainders is therefore 1+7+11=191 + 7 + 11 = 19, so the remainder when the given sum is divided by 19 is 0.

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